“Speckle Trout” was written by Ron Rash in 2005. Ron Rash was born in Chester, South Carolina in 1953; however, he grew up in Boiling Springs, South Carolina. This is a small town in South Carolina and was the inspiration for most of Ron’s stories. “Speckle Trout” is written about a sixteen year old boy that lives in a small town similar to the one that Ron Rash grew up in. The young boy thinks that he is invulnerable to everything, and he does not listen to anyone that warns him of his actions. The boy learns the hard way that he is not invulnerable and how valuable his life is when he is when it reaches the end.
“Speckle Trout” takes place in a small town near the French Broad River in North Carolina during the present time. The town is a small country town where there is not much excitement. It holds a small creek called Caney Creek where many of the locals spend their time fishing for the several species of trout and the occasional catfish. The creek flows out of the French Broad and runs through the town. Brushy Mountain borders the town and the many crop fields that separate the farms. Several of the crop fields are filled with tobacco. Although each farm holds different crops, tobacco is the primary crop and the main source of income for some of the families. This is a quiet country town, but it can tend to hold a lot of excitement that is not expected.
There are only a few characters in the story, but they are some of the more interesting people to learn about. The main character is a sixteen year old boy named Lanny Burgess. Lanny is a very cocky young man, and he thinks that he is invincible. Lanny meets a man by the name of Leonard Hamby. Leonard is not a very tall man, but he has a rather large belly. Leonard is a very smart man and makes a living by selling drugs and beer. Even though most people think he is a man that should not be messed with, Lanny thinks he looks soft like bread dough, and he is not intimidated by Leonard. Also, Lanny meets another man by the name of Linwood Toomey. Linwood is a very large man, and he is seen as very tough because of all the fights he has been in. Linwood has a son that is also big like him. Hubert Toomey is much like his father, and he was said to have gone to either jail or the marines for a long time. Lanny does not know the Toomeys very well, but he finds that they become a very important part in his life.
There are several events that occur in this story to make up the plot. First, Lanny goes to Caney Creek to fish for some speckle trout. He only fished for speckle trout because an elderly man bought them for fifty cents apiece from Lanny. Lanny had to go to where everyone else stayed away from to catch these speckle trout. He even walked right past a No Trespassing sign and continued up the creek. Then Lanny came upon some pot plants on the bank, and he knew how much money they were worth. Lanny cut five plants down and took them to Leonard, the local drug dealer, and sold the plants for sixty dollars. Lanny knew this was easy money, so he quickly went back the next day for more.
After selling the second batch of pot plants, Leonard warned Lanny that it was time to harvest and that the owners would be checking the plants soon. However, Lanny did not listen to Leonard and returned for more pot plants. He quickly learned this was a mistake when he stepped in a bear trap and found himself lying on the bank bleeding severely. Next, Lanny woke up looking at Linwood and Hubert Toomey, and they took the bear trap off of Lanny and left him lying there. The last thing Lanny could think of was the speckle trout and how nice they looked when they were lying on the bank dying like he was.
“Speckle Trout” is told by the narrator in third person and sometimes from Lanny’s point of view. The tone the narrator uses is a serious tone, and it is also suspenseful in some of the situations. To express this tone the narrator uses several figures of speech throughout the story. The narrator uses a simile, for example, when he says “Leonard’s stomach sags over the front of his shorts like a half deflated balloon.” He also describes the eyes of Leonard’s wife as “a deep blue like a jaybird’s feathers.” He uses other figures of speech and several more similes to set the style and tone of this story.
The theme of this story is expressed through symbolism. Ron Rash uses speckle trout to relate to the life of Lanny. Like the speckle trout, Lanny goes back to the pot plants three times even after being warned from Leonard. The speckle trout keep coming back to the bait until they are caught. Going back to the bait finds Lanny and the speckle trout on the creek bank with their lives in someone else’s hand. Lanny remembers, while lying on the creek bank, that the speckle trout’s beautiful fins and spots are not seen until they are on the bank dying. Lanny finally realizes how important his life is and how vulnerable he actually is when he is lying on the bank dying like the speckle trout. Lanny learns that he should have listened to all of the warnings that he received, and that he should have appreciated the life he had and not have been so greedy.
In conclusion, “Speckle Trout” was written by Ron Rash about a sixteen year old boy named Lanny. The story takes place near the French Broad River in the present time. Lanny meets a few people while trying to make some quick money by selling pot plants that he found. Lanny ignores warnings from the people, and he keeps going back like the speckle trout come back to the bait. It isn’t until Lanny strikes a third time and finds himself caught in a bear trap that he realizes how important his life is. Lanny finds that he is a lot like the speckle trout that keep hitting his bait until their life is left in his hands. He returns to the pot plants three times and finds his life in the hands of two men that have do not care for him at all. This story shows how a stubborn sixteen year old boy learns to appreciate his life the hard way, and how he shouldn’t have took the things he had for granted.
