"When we fished the canyon we fished on the same side of it for the simple reason that there is no place in the canyon to wade across. I could hear Paul start to pass me to get to the hole above, and when I realized I didn't hear him anymore, I knew he had stopped to watch me. Although I have never pretended to be a great fisherman, it was important to me that I was a fisherman and looked like one, especially when fishing with my brother. Even before the silence continued I knew I wasn't looking like much of anything." pg. 15
Q: What did you think that this pasage meant?
A: I think that in this passage, he was more worried how he looked, and how people looked at him. He's trying to compare himself to his older brother who is a great fisherman and that can be a competiton to try to compare yourself to someone who is better than you. I think in the end he still know he couldn't rank as high as Paul so he felt like he didn't acomplish anything.
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When we were silent we could hear the needles falling like dry leaves. Suddenly the needles stopped. “I should leave Montana,” he [Paul] said. “I should go to the West Coast.”
I had thought that, too, but I asked, “Why?”
“Here,” he said, “I cover local sports and personal items and the police blotter. I don’t have anything to do. Here I will never have anything to do.”
“Except hunt and fish,” I told him.
“And get into trouble,” he added. (57)
A: I think this quote shows alot between the two brothers. Paul is really talking about his life now and wants to make changes. He knows that he's getting in trouble in Montana and doesn't really have a job. He feels like there is nothing in Montana for him and he's ready to start a new life a new begining for himself, I think that is what his goal really is in this quote.
“After you have finished your true stories sometime, why don’t you make up a story and the people to go with it?
“Only then will you understand what happened and why.” (104)
A: I think this passage really does show life itself. I think it meant that once you have gone through somthing you will understand who you are and why things happen the way they do. You will then have that be your story to share with others and know your mistakes and how to make things better.
Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I am haunted by waters. (104)
A: This quote to me was probably the most significant quote of the book. I think this quote shows that eventually over time things will be better if you make them better. It showing that you are going to have rocky points in your life but you will figure your life out and could make things better for youself. There will still be some things that don't have the answers for you but over time things will start to change.