In Hemingway’s story, “The End of Something”, Nick Adams faces a decision that will affect the rest of his life. He is torn between staying with his girlfriend and leaving her to pursue a life that she can’t offer. The town of Hortons Bay resembles his relationship with Marjorie in that what was once alive and vibrant is now empty and meaningless. Nick had come to a crossroads in his life and had to decide if what he was doing would make him happy and if not then what steps would he need to take to achieve this goal. Although he could marry Marjorie and see the world, he realized that this was not what he wanted. The day came when he would have to share his decision with Marjorie.
There would never seem to be a right time to hurt a close friend. As they rowed along the lake, Nick was silent because he knew that his decision would break Marjorie’s heart. Although he was uncertain of his future, he was certain that it did not include Marjorie. He remained silent as he struggled to find the words to explain his difficult choice. When pressed about his feelings, Nick answered, “I feel as though everything was gone to hell inside of me. I don’t know, Marge.
I don’t know what to say” (34).
It is as if the idea of leaving Marjorie and choosing a new path for himself was taking a toll on his body. Nick sits and broods and does not want to eat when offered food by Marjorie. He later relents but he was hungry for more than mere sustenance. There was nothing in the town that could fill the empty feeling inside of him.
The Essay on Marjorie Shostak: The Life And Words Of Nisa A Kung Women
”Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman,” written by Marjorie Shostak; is a culturally shocking and extremely touching book about a woman who had gone through many struggles and horrific tragedies in her life. This book also emphasizes the perspective of most of the women in the society. There are many striking issues in this book that the people of the !Kung tribe go through. Marjorie ...
Not a sandwich. Not his girlfriend. Not even the prospect of a partner to share the rest of his days with. He would have to go elsewhere to mend his spirit.
The thought of living his life this way and not pursuing his dreams was draining him physically and emotionally. The history of Hortons Bay could be seen as a metaphor for Nick’s life and his relationship with Marjorie. Hortons Bay was once a noisy lumbering town full of machines and workers. Nick and Marjorie’s relationship once consisted of lively conversation and was full of dreams for their future together. The saw mill gave the town a sense of identity and purpose that it would never have achieved otherwise.
Marjorie gave Nick a sense of identity and direction in his life. The mill eventually ran out of lumber and had to move elsewhere or it would cease to exist in that town. Nick’s relationship with Marjorie had lost the meaning that it once had and in a way was as dead as the town was. When the lumber mill left, the town lost its reason for being. Its existence was not possible without the livelihood the mill provided. Since he defined himself through Marjorie, the end of the relationship left Nick struggling to realize who he was and what he wanted in life.
As painful as leaving Marjorie was, Nick felt that it was the best choice to make. Perhaps what Nick finally realized was that change, for good or ill, is inevitable. Towns, like relationships can be built up and torn down. The only element of life that is permanent is change. Once he accepted that, his choice became clearer to him. Nick’s choice to leave Marjorie may not have been the right one, but it was his to make.
He grew up seeing the town change around him as he grew into a man. The death of the town showed him that change is not always for the better. One town’s gain can be another town’s loss. One man’s prosperity can be another man’s misfortune. One man’s choice can be a woman’s despair. One person’s choices can have an effect on many others.
The Essay on Huck Finn Small Town Life
In Mark Twain?s novel ?The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? he talks about small town life in Southern Mississippi. He portrays it as gossipy, a place where everyone knows everyone and knows everyone else?s business and doesn?t care to tell it. It is confining to Huck and Jim because there is too much conforming to society. This is why they escape In Chapter 18 when Huck goes into town dressed as ...
Nick was about to undertake a journey of self-discovery and he knew that Marjorie was not the woman who should be at his side. He felt that she had already mapped out their lives together and was afraid to change that future. But once he made his decision, he would be ready to confront the world and face it as a man in control of his own destiny. Nick Adams experience growing up in Hortons Bay helped shape the man he would become. A man who saw changes occurring all around him and more importantly saw the changes in himself.
His small-town life was one of the main reasons for him wanting more in life. Nick would not settle for the type of life that had become such a main part of him. But first he had to sever any ties that would hold him back from the life he knew was waiting for him if he just had the courage to go out into the world and experience it. Decisions not only affect the decision-maker. They can also hurt loved ones. Nick decided that the pain he and Marjorie would feel from their separation would not be as great as the pain of regret.
Regret for not taking a chance. Regret for letting fear control his life. Regret for not being true to Marjorie or himself. In the end, making a choice and living with the consequences is better than not making a choice at all. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest.
“The End of Something.” In Our Time. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996. 31 – 35.
