Skip to main content

In the very beginning, the author states that there was no clear line between fishing and religion. What does this mean? Does this mean that...

I suppose that you could interpret the quote in a way that shows fishing and religion are equal in status.  I don't think it is necessary to think that way though.  I believe that the quote isn't meant to have the reader think the two are equal.  I think the quote is meant to highlight their similarities.  


The narrator explains that both religion and fly fishing are life long endeavors.  Neither is ever totally mastered, but both are practiced daily, weekly, monthly, etc.  To be a devout religious person, it involves study, emotional desire, and practice.  Metaphorically, it involves the head, heart, and hands.  Fly fishing is like that.  It's not enough to know the motions.  You have to practice the motions.  It's not enough to like fishing, you have to study and practice it to get better at it.  


I like the end of the quote in question as well. It explains that the narrator's father learned the craft of fishing and taught it to others. He's also the minister who obviously teaches others about his religion. His religion is Christianity, which is full of fish references. Christ himself told his disciples (several of them were fishermen) that he would make them "fishers of men." To the main characters in the novel, fishing and religion are so closely intertwined that it is impossible to separate one from the other.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is there a word/phrase for "unperformant"?

As a software engineer, I need to sometimes describe a piece of code as something that lacks performance or was not written with performance in mind. Example: This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. Based on my Google searches, this isn't a real word. What is the correct way to describe this? EDIT My usage of "performance" here is in regard to speed and efficiency. For example, the better the performance of code the faster the application runs. My question and example target the negative definition, which is in reference to preventing inefficient coding practices. Answer This kind of coding style leads to unmaintainable and unperformant code. In my opinion, reads more easily as: This coding style leads to unmaintainable and poorly performing code. The key to well-written documentation and reports lies in ease of understanding. Adding poorly understood words such as performant decreases that ease. In addressing the use of such a poorly ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Is 'efficate' a word in English?

I routinely hear the word "efficate" being used. For example, "The most powerful way to efficate a change in the system is to participate." I do not find entries for this word in common English dictionaries, but I do not have an unabridged dictionary. I have checked the OED (I'm not sure if it is considered unabridged), and it has no entry for "efficate". It does have an entry for "efficiate", which is used in the same way. Wordnik has an entry for "efficate" with over 1800 hits, thus providing some evidence for the frequency of use. I personally like the word and find the meaning very clear and obvious when others use it. If it's not currently an "officially documented" word, perhaps its continued use will result in it being better documented.
Post a Comment
Read more