The Three Day Blow: Real and Relatable

       The Three Day Blow, one of Ernest Hemingway’s stories of the life of his fictional character Nick Adams, was one of my favorite stories of the year because of how relatable and real it was. The story follows directly after The End of Something, in which Nick ends the relationship with his girlfriend, Marjorie, because “it isn’t fun anymore.” In the new story, Nick arrives at Bill’s house, who met up with him right after the break-up, and they sit and talk for awhile about different subjects and drink some Scotch and whiskey. Eventually, Bill brings up Marjorie and Nick begins having second thoughts about the break-up, but is comforted by the thought that he could always go back if he wanted to.

       One of the reasons I loved this story so much was because how real it seemed. At the beginning of this blog, I mentioned that Nick Adams was a fictional character of Hemingway’s imagination. However, Nick feels as real as one of my friends. One of the reasons the whole atmosphere of this story feels so real is because of the language of the scene. It is not emphasized by huge descriptive words, but rather states that we are in Bill’s cottage and leaves the rest for our imagination to fill. Sometimes, I enjoy knowing exactly what the author had in mind when he/she was thinking of a setting, and therefore descriptive words about the area are needed to place me in that exact environment. However, in this instance, the conversation between Bill and Nick was more important than knowing exactly where they were when they were talking.

       Another factor that helped the realism of this story was the subject of conversation between the two men. They start with small talk about the Cardinals, then which author is better between Chesterton and Walpole, then fishing, the whole time continuing the drink more and more whiskey and Scotch. What is the point of having this small talk before getting to the main point of conversation which is obviously Nick’s breakup with Marjorie? Personally (and I’m sure this isn’t what a lot of scholars would argue), it added to the reality of the scene. When a friend comes over to my room, I don’t immediately divulge into whatever important topic we might have to talk about, especially if he has just broken up with his girlfriend. Our conversation might go something like this:

Me: “Hey man, what’s up?

Friend: “Hey, not much, just seeing what you’re up to.”

M: “Oh nice, well I was gonna take a break from studying. You wanna play Halo?”

F: “For sure. I need me some good Haloing right now.”

M: “Did you see that Broncos game?? Tebow is the MAN!”

F: “Maaaan, that was bull. He’s so overrated. Just wait until he stops getting lucky and the Broncos won’t win another game. I’ll bet you money.”

M: “Pshhhhh, whatever. You know they’re a force to be reckoned with now.”

F: “No way. What book are you reading in Lit and Civ now?”

M: “Nick Adams Stories. They’re pretty good. I like Hemingway. He’s to the point and easy to read and I like his subtlety.”

F: “Oh yeah I read a few of those in high school. He’s okay. I like John Steinbeck better though for sure. The Grapes of Wrath was so good.”

M: “What! That’s what I read if I couldn’t get to sleep. It’s so boring.”

F: “Agree to disagree, man.”

M: “Okay okay... Anyway man, I heard you and that girl broke up.”

       I would not immediately bring up the conversation about the girlfriend. I would let him get comfortable, small talk with him, relax for a little bit before getting into anything serious. I believe Hemingway created this dialogue about the Cardinals and favorite authors in order to add to the realism of the scene.

       Nick mentioned at one point that Marjorie’s mother thought they were engaged at one point. Obviously, this relationship was not one of a fleeting nature. Anyone who has been in a lengthy relationship that has not worked out can relate to Nick in this situation just after breaking up with Marjorie. While he is not enjoying the relationship anymore, this is the woman he has been with for however long and has gotten close to; no matter what, he is bound to have feeling drawing him back, making him second guess his decision.

       There is a funny quote that I’ve heard multiple times that the only honest people in the world are children and drunk people. While this is obviously not entirely true, there is at least some inflection in it. Children do not know any better, don’t process the consequences and don’t think that it might be wrong to be completely honest at a given time. On the other side, being intoxicated has a way of loosening people up and allowing them to act in a more primal, childlike way without thinking before speaking. I think that the whiskey and Scotch in this story serve that specific purpose. Nick and Bill continue to get more drunk. As they do, and the conversation of Marjorie eventually comes up, Nick’s emotions come to surface. It is obvious that he is regretting his decision. “All he knew was that he had once had Marjorie and that he had lost her.” Then Bill mentions that they shouldn’t talk about it because he wouldn’t want Nick to get back into it. “Nick had not thought about that. I had seemed so absolute. That was a thought. That made him feel better.” He had considered him and Marjorie done forever, but the thought that it wasn’t absolute, that he could go back to her if he wanted, made him happier. I believe the drinking serves the purpose of displaying Nick’s emotions with honesty. Had they not been drinking, he probably would not have felt such a yearning to return to Marjorie-- the fact that the spark was not there anymore would have been fresh in his mind. However, we are described what he is feeling as he feels them, without thought or logic interfering-- raw Nick. And in this instance, he is missing Marjorie and is comforted by the fact he can have her back.