* a quotation that shows the importance of place (the setting) in the novel
* a quotation that shows the relationship between two characters (e.g., for A River Runs Through It, the two brothers)
* a quotation that helps establish the metaphor explored in the book (e.g., for A River Runs Through It, the river or fly-fishing is a metaphor for life)
* the quote of the novel, the one passage or quotation that captures the essence, the true meaning, of the novel for you

Write a paragraph giving a “close reading” of each quote and post this below the quote.  

 1. “The canyon about the old Clearwater Bridge is where the Blackfoot roars loudest. The backbone of a mountain would not break, so the mountain compresses the already powerful river into sound and spray before letting it pass. Here, of course, the road leaves the river; even in 1806 when Lewis left Clark to come up the Blackfoot, he skirted the canyon by a safe margin. It is no place for small fish or small fisherman. Even the roar adds power to the fish or at least intimidates the fisherman.”

This quote brings out the setting in the book and sets the whole mood for the novel. It brings the reader into the story and makes you understand why these men like this place so much and why they revisit it.

 

2.    "Help is giving part of yourself to somebody who comes to accept it willing and needs it badly. "So it is that we can seldom help anybody. Either we don't know what part to give or maybe we don't like to give any part of ourselves. Then, more often than not, the part that is needed is not wanted. And even more often, we do not have the part that is needed. It is like the auto-supply shop over town where they always say, 'Sorry, we are just out of that part.'"

     I told him, "You make it too tough. Help doesn't have to be anything that big."

     He asked me, "Do you think your mother helps him by buttering his roll?"

     "She might," I told him. "In fact, yes, I think she does."

This quote shows the relationship between Norman and his father. They like to discuss Paul's life together in secret and how he is so helpless. This is the first time we see Norman and his father talk about Paul and how he needs help.

 

3." 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."

This quote somewhat explains how life takes place. It is saying that eventually your life comes together, there are obsticles that may come in the way and split the river. The raindrops on the rocks are memories, and the words from under the rocks could explain important people that you have lost. This is a hard quote to compare to life, but it does fit.

 

4. A river, though, has so many things to say that it is hard to know what it says to each of us. As we were packing our tackle and fish in the car, Paul repeated, “Just give me three more years.” At the time, I was surprised at the repetition, but later I realized that the river somewhere, sometime, must have told me, too, that he would receive no such gift.

 This quote which appears at the end of the book shows the end of Paul. Paul wanted to think like a fish and we find out in the end that he won't. The river in this quote talks to Norman in a way and Norman can tell that his brother will not live to think like a fish.