PLACE:
"Fishing is a world apart from all others, and inside it are special worlds of their own--one is fishing for big fish in small water where there is not enough world and water to accommodate a fish and a fisherman, and the willows on the side of the creek are all against the fisherman."
This quote cleary explains where the place of the story is. It doesn't use an actual place like Missoula, Montana, or the Snake River to explain the place. It simply says that fishing is a world apart from all others, and inside it are special worlds of their own. Through out the book the boys are venturing off into their own little worlds. They ventur offi in to there worlds everytime they fish, and this is the place the story is set.
RELATIONSHIP:
"We had to be very careful in dealing with each other. I often thought of him as a boy, but I never could treat him that way. He was never “my kid brother.” He was a master of an art. He did not want any big brother advice or money or help, and, in the end, I could not help him."
This explains how the boys' realationship is. The younger brother wants to be able to live with out help, even though he knows he needs it sometimes. He wants to be able to show that he can do it by himself. the older brother is just wanting to help him, and show that he cares even though Paul is so strong headed.
METAPHOR:
"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."
This quote expalins how teh univers is one thing and everything merges into one thing. This also explains how when noram and his father died they arnt just nothing. They leave behind some kind of a spirit that Paul can sense. This is why he says I am haunted by waters.
TRUE MEANING:
My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation - come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy.
to me this quote caprtures the true meaning of the book. His father talks about how all good things come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come so easy.
Paul in the story was able to capture the true art of flyfishing, mainly becasue he spent his life on the rive, and made one of his puposes in life flyfishing. The time and effort he put into his flyfishing made it an art, and this art did not come easy to him.
