1.  What else do you think Hemmingway may be saying through the setting in this story? I think that he's telling us that Nick is alone. He isn't in a relationship, and perhaps he just got out of one judging by the extremity of his isolation. Maybe he's trying to be far away from a particular thing or person.

2.  Why does he use the contrasting setting of the burned out area with the lush, green setting?
To show a contrast between where Nick came from (the burned out setting) and where he's going (the lush green setting).

3.  What does Nick's traveling through the burned out area to the lush green area symbolize?
It symbolizes that he's moving from a bad time or experience in his life to a new, better place or a fresh start.

4.  What does the swamp area symbolize? I think the swamp area symbolizes maybe a relationship in that it is hard to get out of and can completely engulf you and you are almost blind when you are in it because of the tree branches.

5.  When does Nick, if ever, plan to go to the swamp? Maybe tomorrow, but maybe next week or next month or year...just...later. Not now.

Earnest Hemmingway utilizes setting to its full potential. He uses dialog sparingly, and only with short, concise tags. He simply tells you who is speaking. There is no outright explanation of how they say it or what they mean. He gives the reader something to do and I like that--most of the time.  Occasionally I enjoy a book that is simple and tells me what is happening and why, but for the most part, I like to feel that I have accomplished something in reading a story. If I had read the entire Nick Adams collection, I would probably enjoy it more. However, I have only read three of them and so, do not feel aquainted enough with them to give an educated opinion on them. I liked the stories I read well enough with the assumption that they fit into a much grander tale, but taking each story for what it is, I'd say it's a waste of time to read. Without the other stories, there is no background information telling you who Nick is, what's going on with him, or, frankly, why he exists in print.

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