Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
A Book By Its Cover
Will claims he doesn't like them. He says he'd rather be flying above stuff, which is why he'd rather learn to fly than to drive (213). "I'm a pilot, not a woodworker," (218) he claims. And there are ways in which this is true: Will is intensely withholding when it comes to his thoughts and feelings, and he's drawn toward Angela who is similarly hard to read. With so many hard feelings roiling beneath, it makes sense that Will would feel more comfortable with what's on the surface.
But the surface only gets you so far—remember, Will has a whole lot going on inside his head and heart—and to this end, he loves the tide, specifically because of what you can't see below the surface, which always holds the "possibility of something better than what you've got here right now" (481). In other words, with the surface, Will knows what he's dealing with—but below it is where possibility for something else resides. And that Will recognizes this and feels fond of this potential lets us know that he won't be able to stay closed off forever.