Bradley Prescott Lawson III: A Short Story

Man is a product of two worlds— the one he inhabits and the one he strives to create. The fisherman in Lawrence Sargent Hall’s “The Ledge” is caught somewhere between the two. A calloused, hardworking man who lives in a cold corner of the world, he is a father, a husband, and a man. Hall uses the perception of others, the actions of the protagonist, and direct narration to ultimately expose the real, imperfect humanity of the fisherman.

Sometimes our everyday experiences can strike us in ways that will influence our thinking in ways that might forever alter the way that we view our lives. In the short story “Fish Story,” Rick Bass primarily uses conflict, symbols, and the changes in a character to present a central theme reflecting the inevitability of our maturing thoughts and growing responsibilities that come incrementally with age. Gullason (1982) shares, “A short story represents a prose narrative usually concerned with a single aspect of personality changing or revealed as the result of conflict” (p. 222). We might interestingly find both of these dynamics within our weekly discussion’s short story assignment. Pigg (2017) explains, “The theme of a work of fiction is as much a creation of readers as it is for the writer because the user’s knowledge and beliefs play a part in determining the theme(s) they will recognize” (Attend Topic 4 Unit 2 [Video]). The writer of this week’s short story was likely to have known the theme that he intended to communicate while also recognizing the diversity of human thinking that gives us a myriad of perspectives. The “’Fish Story’s’ narrator is a 10-year-old boy in the early 1960’s living in rural Texas with parents who run a service station while their customer brings a 86 pound catfish creating a task to keep the fish alive until time to cook it” (Bass, 2009, pp. 1-2). As we recall our childhoods, most can likely remember how our imagination and fantasies began to collide with the realities of life, and this overreaching concept might allude to the theme of this piece of work. The narrator tells us how “He grew dizzy in the heat and from the strange combination of the unblinking monotony and utter fascination of his task until the trickling from the water hose seemed to be saturating and inflating the clouds as one would water a garden” (Bass, 2009, p. 2). As the narrator embraces the mundane task, his daydreams seem to symbolize the innocence of his youth. Later the story’s narrator “speaks less of childhood than of the general nature of the world in which we live, while contemplating that those days were different – we had more time for such thoughts, that time had not yet been corrupted”

Antwone "Fish" Fisher is a complex individual who has been through a great deal of psychological and sociological conflicts in his short life. His mother was arrested and then abandons him, he was abused physically and emotional, and then lived on the streets. In short, nearly everything bad that can possible happen to a person has happened to young Antwone Fisher before he has reached adulthood. In his autobiographical book Finding Fish (2001), Fisher explains how the torment that he experienced in his youth shaped the man that he would become in adulthood. Although this story tells about one young man's difficulties in life and how he had to overcome obstacles in order to be a functional and positive member of society, it is really a story about the larger human condition and how every person becomes affected by their experiences.

journalist. These two very different brothers are brought together through the years by a mutual love of fly fishing instilled in them by their unyielding father. As Norman watches his brother's seemingly charmed life dissolve under the influences of gambling and alcohol, the art of fly fishing becomes a touching metaphor for the love their father was unable to express in any other way.

William O'Connell Bradley (1847–1914) was the 32nd Governor of Kentucky and a U.S. senator. The first Republican to serve as governor of the state, he became known as the father of the Republican Party in Kentucky. After a well-received speech seconding the presidential nomination of Ulysses S. Grant at the 1880 Republican National Convention, he was nominated for governor in 1887. He lost the general election that year, but won in 1895, capitalizing on divisions in the Democratic Party over the issue of free silver. His term was marked by political struggles and violence. He advanced the status of black citizens, but was unable to enact much of his reform agenda over a hostile Democratic majority. He was elected by the state legislature to the U.S. Senate in 1907, when voting was deadlocked and the Democratic candidate, outgoing Governor J. C. W. Beckham, refused to withdraw in favor of a compromise candidate. Bradley's opposition to

“Homewaters of the Mind”, written by Holly Morris, is a personal narrative from an anthology named Another Wilderness. The narrator starts her story with details of an early morning and preparation for fishing. She then reveals a glimpse of her past, which explains her hobby, fishing, and a sense of disconnection from her father. Shifting back to present day, she struggles with fishing, prompting her to contemplate and admire the scenery. The narrative ends with the author wanting to reconnect with her father. The narrator masterfully utilizes this one fishing experience to illustrate the influence of nature and time on her mind.

It has been ten years since Fred left for Vancouver. Fred is now twenty-seven, but still in the seventeen-year-old body he was when he was turned into a wretched monster. He still thinks of the day that he left behind Bree and Diego, part of him wishes that he

As with Tyler Hurd’s involvement in the sport of fishing, it is not just the awe-inspiring loot he may catch that drives his persistence to keep fishing, it’s also about the fishing ventures he takes alone that satisfies his curiosity as well. While Hurd’s many fishing expeditions occur in the fishing areas of Galveston, his accompanying friends or relatives seem to limit his eagerness to try various different ways of fishing other than occupying fishing piers that contain crowds or charter boats that carry packs of people. Unlike the regular ways of his companions, Hurd particularly uses one of many available canoes within a bay area whenever the chance for him doing so arises.

It was an ordinary day when Peter Fredward Kanzaas lost what he loved most. The Canadian summer sun brightened up his kitchen making it hard to see some parts of the room due to the glare. This, however did cause Pete to notice that his special green bag with yellow patches on it had gone missing. Pete’s missing bag had contained his most prized possessions in life. His watch that he had won from the state fair, the belt buckle that he had taken from the rodeo, a pair of gold plated socks and his lucky bottle cap were all been stolen by a thief when he or she took that green bag. The backpack full of items was the only thing that made Pete wake up in the morning and when it was stolen, it was not an option to not find it. Peter had to get his possessions back even if it was the last thing he would do.

Gabby leaped out of her navy blue bed and right into her fishing clothes which contained a hat, pants, coat, shirt, and rubbery boots. She was so excited even though she was dead tired because it was 6:00 in the morning! This is her grandfather’s yearly fishing trip! Gabby could not wait!

He walks in through those doors every day, Monday to Friday, first man in, last man out. A limp follows his every step telling the story of a body that has long seen its best days. He has White hair, wrinkles, and round glasses, that allow him to look cartoonish, if you didn’t know him better. He stands tall and proud, working as hard if not harder than any young man in the company. At 66 years old, Julian still feels strong and willful enough to manage a crew of 6 in Atlas refinery, where he’s worked for over 30 years and can be contributed for a lot of the company’s continued success. He’s the version of the kind of man his father taught him to be, growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio. His children are all grown up now, but he still goes to

The excitement begins to rise as the first cast draws nearer. The motor is prepared for take-off and the key is placed in the ignition. The engine turns over and the huge motor roars. The sleek boat accelerates rapidly and speeds toward the first fishing spot of the day. In a matter of minutes, the powerful boat glides into the fishing spot. The anticipation of catching a fish becomes almost unbearable. The fishing poles are grabbed quickly out of the rod lockers, and lures are tied onto the end of the fishing line. Moments later, the sound of a lure splashing into the water can be heard from the boat. The real adventure has just begun.

The street was eerily quiet as I crossed. So was Mike. Staring at me unwaveringly, he said nothing as I approached. The crow's feet framing his eyes, the ridges in his forehead, and the crinkles in his cheeks still stand out in my mind. How many nights had he lain on that bench, covering his face as the wind whipped against it? Now he hugged his body tightly. He was wearing an old pair of tan khakis, a shirt that I couldn't see clearly, and a light multi-colored jacket, its sleeves ending above his pale wrists, that was just slightly too small and clung to his body. As I gave him the money in my wallet, he took it--slowly--and stared at it for a second in disbelief. Although the street in front of the library is usually an amalgam of car horns, headlights, whining engines throughout the night, nothing--not

He saw the Stitch his sister had fell out and was laying in the floor. As he was about to take it to the rest of the boxes he hesitated, Looking at it. This was the last piece of his childhood he had, and he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of it. He would give it to his sister when he saw her again as a gift, as she showed great interest in it. He went back in his car and headed straight to Raleigh. He would’ve roomed with Jake but he got accepted at a college closer to home that he preferred. Walking into his new dorm room carrying a large stack of boxes he tripped at the entrance but someone caught the boxes before they fell. He was greeted with a hand to help him up. “The name’s Pete, You must be

“He did not truly feel good because the pain from the cord across his back had almost passed pain and into dullness that he mistrusted.”(74) Once both the fish and Santiago had reached the breaking point of conflict the story seemed to slow down in time to exemplify the adverse conditions that both characters were suffering from. The old man proves himself worthy of personal suffering with the cuts and scars on his hands and back along with all of the pulling and slipping the cords had upon his fragile body. Hemmingway shows in a big way how an out of proportioned conflict with an old fisherman and an 18 foot long marlin helps to magnify the significance of Santiago searching for his rebirth to manhood. With constant abstraction describing the fish and the sea in relation to brotherhood create interesting questions for Santiago to ponder. His rationalization for his fishing is that he was born to do it. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” (103) Hemmingway proves that this fish represents all of Santiago’s built up tension to total the size of a gigantic marlin that is perceived as devastating but not unconquerable. The old man’s hopes and aspirations can overcome the adversity of the marlin’s size, along with the conditions of the old, hungry, and exhausted fisherman. Through outright suffering Santiago achieves a goal above his previous manhood by combating pain and