Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Their role isn’t just to become fish sticks. Actually, the trout in Part I and the trout in Part II are rather different, so let’s start there. In Part I, Nick looks at the trout “chang[ing] their positions by quick angles, only to hold steady in the fast water again” (I.2). The real signal that this is an important observation comes when we’re told that “Nick’s heart tightened as the trout moved. He felt all the old feeling” (I.5). This is our cue to go back and read that other line as potentially symbolic.
So what’s so special about trout moving? Think about the way they’re moving: they’re keeping themselves steady against the current by holding on to the bottom of the river, but sometimes they move abruptly. Maybe we can somehow relate this to Nick’s mental state: he too is trying to hold himself steady, and it’s during those sudden, abrupt movements that his heart “tighten[s],” as if due to anxiety.
Moving on, in Part II Nick’s relationship to the trout changes, because now he’s fishing. First, let’s talk about the one that got away. This is the big guy who almost breaks the fishing rod:
He had never seen so big a trout. There was a heaviness, a power not to be held, and then the bulk of him, as he jumped. (II.31)
We mentioned in our discussion of camping supplies as symbols that Nick feels the most comfortable when he’s in control of a situation. Well, this trout definitely challenges that comfort. When Nick has to take a cigarette break to calm down his shaky disappointment, we know that this trout’s escape bothers him way more than an escaped trout should; it actually seems to distress him. “Power not to be held” is a pretty clear-cut way of saying “uncontrollable.”
Some things, like this huge trout, are just too much for Nick to handle, both physically and emotionally. But that doesn’t mean that Nick should avoid fishing altogether; it’s really about Nick gradually healing, and re-gaining some semblance of control over himself. For instance, after his first catch, we’re told:
Nick had one good trout. He did not care about getting many trout. (II.45)
You see how Nick outlines what he can manage? It’s his way of not letting everything get all chaotic and confusing. Check out our thoughts on rules and order in the “Themes” section for more on this idea.