Michelle Obama once said “you can't make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.” A similar choice was made by a young boy, in the short story The Bass, The River, And Sheila Mant by WD Wetherell. A tug-of-war occurring within the narrator between, the bass that represents who the narrator really is and what he enjoys doing, while Sheila Mant represents love and concealment of what he really is. As when the narrator wasn't trying to whew Sheila Mant, he would do his favorite way to pass time. “I never went anywhere that summer without a fishing rod” (Wertherell) 246. “ When I wasn't swimming laps to impress Sheila Mant, “ I was back in our driveway practicing casts (Wertherell) 246. The narrator fished during the summer, when he wasn't trying to impress Sheila Mant with his swimming.
The narrator had finally gotten a chance to convince Sheila to go on a date with him, to a concert in Dixford on his canoe. As he paddled the canoe to pick up Sheila, he cast-ted his rod, “ and I immediately forgot about it.” (Wetherell) 246. While paddling to the concert Sheila mentions, how she thought fishing was boring, and dumb. “ I would have given anything not to appear dumb in Sheila's unforgiving eyes.” As a result the narrator try’s to conceal is fishing equipment, that he had forgotten all about. “ She hadn't seen my equipment yet,” “ was I suppose push my canoe closer to the shore and carefully slide the rod in some branches.” (Wetherell) 247. Blinded with love the narrator did not want Sheila to find out about his little hubby. Because of the fear that she would look down upon him, and not like him.
While Sheila was peering over the canoe, the narrator slowly moved the rod behind his back ,and leaned it on the stern so it would be less conspicuous. But for his inconvenience he had caught something,”One it was a bass,” “ two that it was a big bass,” “and three the biggest