How we cite our quotes: (Part.Paragraph)
Quote #1
He smoothed the uprooted earth. He did not want anything making lumps under the blankets. When he had the ground smooth, he spread his three blankets. One he folded double, next to the ground. The other two he spread on top. (I.24)
Wow, this description of laying out sleeping blankets is really a thrill a minute. Is the conflict that Nick didn’t bring his memory foam mattress? Well, try to imagine a character who chooses the first campable spot, throws down all of his gear in a pile, and unrolls his sleeping bag in whatever spot it happens to land on. We might think that a character like this is sloppy, or easygoing, or careless. Nick is not this character.
Quote #2
He had not been unhappy all day. This was different though. Now things were done. There had been this to do. Now it was done. It had been a hard trip. He had been very tired. That was done. He had made his camp. He was settled. Nothing could touch him. (I.26)
Dang, this is an awful lot of sentences just to convey the idea of things being done (notice how many times the word “done” appears). We mean, it’s great to check things off of your to-do list and all, but this is taking it a bit far. In fact, we’re supposed to notice how much Nick likes the fact that he has accomplished the tasks he set out to do. We suppose it’s the small victories that count.
Quote #3
He hung the pack up on the nail. All his supplies were in the pack. They were off the ground and sheltered now. (I.28)
It’s great that Nick is conscientious about protecting his stuff from raccoons, but more than that, Nick seems preoccupied with averting disasters. Now, some raccoons running off with a can of beans might not seem like a disaster to most people, but think about how Nick reacts later in the story when he loses the particularly large trout. He’s being super careful here, and it’s not just because he’s a good camper.