“The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” By W. D. Wetherell

SETTING Summer New England Town River Provides the backdrop for the story to take place

CONFLICT Physical: the narrator struggles with the bass Internal: the narrator struggles between his desire to catch the biggest bass in his life and his desire to impress Sheila

CHARACTERS Narrator: 14 yrs. old at the story’s beginning, loved fishing for largemouth bass, has a crush on Sheila Mant, spends his time trying to get up enough courage to ask Sheila for a date Sheila Mant: 17 yrs. old, family is renting the cottage next to his family’s, doesn’t know the narrator exists, talks constantly of older college boys, upper class

Characterization Methods Narrator’s actions Narrator’s thoughts Speech of both characters Physical appearance of Sheila

PLOT BASIC SITUATION (Exposition) Describes the setting and narrator’s obsession with Sheila (Introduces the internal conflict) Describes Sheila and her suitors Asks Sheila to a dance Takes his canoe and fishing rod COMPLICATIONS (Rising Action) Narrator desperately tries to conceal the rod with the big bass as Sheila chatters away, having absolutely no idea what is going on

PLOT (cont.) CLIMAX The narrator cuts the line FALLING ACTION Sheila rides home with a college boy DENOUEMENT Older, reflective narrator says it was a hard choice and a mistake he has never repeated.

CONFLICT INTERNAL ELEMENTAL (External) Narrator struggles with his courage to ask Sheila to the dance He struggles between his desire to catch the bass and his desire for Sheila ELEMENTAL (External) Narrator’s physical struggle with the bass Narrator’s verbal struggle to keep Sheila ignorant of the bass

First Person Narrator POINT OF VIEW The story is told through the thoughts, feelings, and remembrances of an adult main character.

THEME All the concern about hiding something to prevent someone from looking at him in a negative way Teenagers’ conflict between being true to themselves and trying to be attractive to others

OTHER ELEMENTS Dramatic Irony – when the reader is aware of something that one of the characters in the story is not Page 39, col. A, par. 1