How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #7
He’s all right, Nick thought. He was only tired. (II.22)
In the literal context, Nick is talking about a trout. Fair enough. But it’s also a line that really jumps out at us. It isn’t just that Nick is compassionate about fish. First of all, the words “Nick thought” and “Nick said” hardly ever appear in this story; like we say in our “Narrator Point of View” section (which you should totally read), this story prefers to use free indirect discourse. So when we get a direct thought like this, it stands out. Our question for you is this: Is Nick really only talking about the trout?
Quote #8
Nick felt the moment when the leader would break if the strain increased and let the line go. (II.27)
Tension! Hmm, sounds like this tension could just might refer to something beyond what it literally refers to. Now, we’re not saying that everything in this story has a meaning beyond itself, but… actually, that is exactly what we’re saying. We could theoretically just read this line as a description of trying to reel in a really big fish, but that hardly seems like something worth reading about on its own, unless you happen to be super into fishing, in which case a subscription to Field and Stream would probably be more up your alley. Anyway, back to Nick. So much of this story’s action occurs underneath the literal action of the story. At this point in the narrative, we’ve already seen that Nick is bothered by something ineffable, and that he manifests his anxiety through weird reactions to physical tasks. So words like “break” and “strain” that evoke mental anxiety should become prompts for us to read metaphorically.
Quote #9
Nick’s hand was shaky. He reeled in slowly. The thrill had been too much. He felt, vaguely, a little sick, as though it would be better to sit down. (II.32)
Wow, that’s quite a bit of excitement over a trout. Now, we’re not hating on all of you fishing enthusiasts out there; we’re just saying that this is a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think? It’s not as though there is a whole lot at stake here, other than Nick’s fishing pride. So far, we’ve seen Nick being very careful about not allowing anything to happen that might get him worked up, and now we see why.