Gus And Eddy Exchange Names example essay topic

Eddy Eddy changes Gus in three different ways: when she directly interacts with him, by her absence and by her reappearance. On their first encounter with one another Gus is compelled by her differences in dress, techniques and gear. After she leaves, Gus feels a "need" to fulfill his empty life. Finally when she shows back up in his life, Gus then has everything he could ever ask for: a beautiful woman who loves to fish, just like him.

Page 151: "A barefoot girl. A full-grown one. One who wore the top tenth or so of what had long ago been a pair of blue jeans. One who wore a short, skin-tight, sleeveless sky-colored t-shirt through... which revealed the shape of the... ". Gus describes his first view Eddy, after having stuck his way up to the tree where she sat "motionless" not noticing him.

His attention is soon diverted, if not completely towards her odd pole and gear. Lying to himself as he checked out this "research project" he notices how her gear is like nothing he had seen or used before, but his mind never full wonders from Eddy. (Page 151) Page 151: "Her fishing equipment was innovative also; she appeared to have no creel or equipage or container of any kind apart form her pole and line and whatever was on the end of it. There was the possibility of a few spare hooks or leaders in the pockets of the fraction of blue jeans... but the theory grew tenuous... As to the possibility of fishing tackle concealed with in the sky-colored t-shirt, this was even less likely.

Nevertheless I considered the problem long and carefully, scanning every least curve of the thin material, reluctant to give up the search". While Gus is checking her style out he realizes that Eddy was important and he needed to learn from her. He describes his sudden thirst for knowledge about Eddy as follows: Page 150: "She must be an extraordinary person, well worth watching, well worth meeting, well worth thinking about, an exceptional fisherman, and I was, what I was, I was learning, yes learning: I was learning like crazy. I'd never learned so much so fast before... ".

Watching Eddy fish, Gus absorbs a lot of information that before was totally unseen to him. Not only about fishing, but about this woman and about himself, needing to learn from her. He says on page 152 "I felt for the first time that I was in the presence of a fishing genius exceeding my own". He is enthralled by her fishing abilities and when she stripes naked to dive after the fish she snagged, Gus was completely spellbound. He watches Eddy get her prize of a fish and he follows Eddy. When Eddy notices Gus there she froze, not knowing what to do about some guy come up to her mumbling saying "What muck.

I mean let, or, um... ". and "Me gog peach ins pediment. M-m-my I just a". (Page 156) Gus feeling like a complete fool dives deep into the river and tries to block it all out, but eventually gets out and runs away from his scene of complete stupidity. He cuts himself running through the brush and eventually climbs a tree to carry out his plan of falling out of it. Fortunately Eddy was still on her rock and Gus got the courage to talk to her.

Page 158: "I forgot I had a body the moment I say hers". As they conversed, Gus begins to fall back on his old language, because talking like himself left his mouth all jumbled, and begins reciting Izaak Walton. He smiles give him the courage to go on, and his heart compelled him to learn more about this new found passion. When Eddy tries to leave Gus asks her to not go, and when she asks why not, he replies from a passage of a book: Page 158: "No life, honest scholar, no life so happy and so pleasant as the life of a well-governed angler!" Gus and Eddy exchange names, in between the times Gus could actually make coherent words, and then Eddy got a bite on her line. As Eddy was diving after it, Gus came crashing down the tree to help and Eddy took off. Gus then goes a little insane by running to his car and flooring it to find the running Eddy.

Page 161: "If she got away before I found out something more about her... I'd never see her again!" This prospect scared Gus because Eddy had given him a purpose for something way more in life, a purpose of needing someone else and to love. He stayed in that very tree waiting for her, but she never showed up again. Gus did find her fishing rod though and kept it. Gus then goes into a short of depression after he 'loses' Eddy and the next day he speaks with the River Why". You " re right...

This isn't a good morning" "WHY" "Because I will never see her again " Gus realizes after long days of thinking every body of water knew what every other water knew, that this river only says why and never gives answers. He yells at the river after it replies why to his answer on page 163 saying: I don't know, dammit! And I don't know why she ran away or why I had to see her at all when I'll never see her again, or why she smiled but ran, or laughed but ran, or talked to me but ran, or asked my name but ran, but God she was beautiful, and she fished like, like, like Thomas and Ma and H 20 and Piscator put together, and I think I might go crazy if I never see her again". He goes on to answer a friend's question 'why' and says because he loves her. This is the point in Gus's life where he is in love but has no idea of what to do about it. After a while he tries to get over his whole ordeal with Eddy and then talk with Titus about his encounter with the beautiful woman.

Titus gives him some philosophical books to read to help Gus sort out this problem and gives Gus some helpful words of encouragement. Titus explains to Gus that she wouldn't have talked and asked his name if she was did not like him. Page 168 (Titus to Gus): "She knows your name; she knows your river; she might guess you have her pole and fish; she might come to t get them". Gus tries to fulfill his life with these books and the new friends he has meet along the way, but he can not get Eddy off of his mind. Even when he goes to visit his parents at home and Bill Bob questions Gus about what he has been doing, eventually Gus let Eddy's name slip. Bill Bob gave Gus encouragement of seeing Eddy by his questions and hope.

Page 195: .".. that if a mouse could sing I just might see Eddy again". Along his journeys Gus comes across a writer for a newspaper article and made up a story to the over zealous, unskilled fisherman, who wrote about fishing. In the end of the article he put a note to Eddy. Page 217: "Will the girl who ran form the guy who recited Izaak Walton I the tree please contact Gus on the other river he named. He has your rod and fish and wants to return them. He is totally harmless, but urges you to bring a loaded fun if frightened, as long as you come.

Thank you". Through out his waiting and searching for Eddy he changes dramatically. He feels the need for his live to be fulfilled, and he strives for it by doing new things. He acquires a new load of friends and things from swapping, but he was sad for those who did not have what he could have and for other reasons. Page 221: .".. also because I had so much to share, but nobody to share it with".

Then Gus goes into making her a rod like her old one, but with improvements. Like a 14 foot pole, belly reel with a waist strap and some good line in it. The hope still lives on to see her once again and he is striving to make a good impression on Eddy this time.