The End of Something Flashcards
by Ernest Hemingway — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The End of Something
What happened to Hortons Bay before the story takes place?
It was a lumber town whose mill was stripped of all machinery and shipped away, leaving only broken foundations — a metaphor for Nick's dying relationship.
What are Nick and Marjorie doing at the beginning of the story?
Trolling for trout along the shore and heading to the point to set night lines for rainbow trout.
What does Marjorie say about the old mill ruins?
She calls them "our old ruin" and says the ruins look "like a castle" — romanticizing the past while Nick says almost nothing.
What reason does Nick give for ending the relationship?
"It isn't fun any more. Not any of it" — a deliberately vague and inadequate explanation that reveals his emotional limitations.
How does Marjorie leave after the breakup?
She takes the rowboat and rows away across the moonlit water, refusing Nick's offer to push the boat off: "You don't need to."
Who appears after Marjorie leaves, and what does this reveal?
Bill walks out of the woods and asks "Did she go all right?" — revealing the breakup was planned in advance.
How does Marjorie's attitude toward fishing contrast with Nick's?
She is "intent on the rod all the time" and loves fishing — still fully invested, while Nick goes through the motions mechanically.
What does Nick's complaint "You know everything" reveal about him?
He is threatened by Marjorie's competence. Having taught her everything, he has lost the teacher role that structured their dynamic.
What question does Marjorie ask that cuts to the core of the breakup?
"Isn't love any fun?" — a devastatingly simple question that exposes the shallowness of Nick's reasoning.
How does the abandoned lumber mill foreshadow the ending?
Just as the town was stripped of everything that made it a town, Nick's relationship is stripped of everything that gave it meaning.
What does the story suggest about Nick's emotional maturity?
He can end a relationship but cannot explain why, lying face-down in the blanket afterward — capable of inflicting pain but not processing it.
How do the trout that "won't strike" function as metaphor?
They mirror Nick — present and feeding but refusing to commit, just as he is physically present but emotionally refusing to engage with Marjorie.
How does the moonrise create dramatic irony?
Marjorie greets it happily, expecting a romantic evening, while Nick dreads it — the same beautiful setting means opposite things to each of them.
What is the effect of Bill's casual tone at the end?
It deflates any remaining sympathy for Nick — the breakup that seemed agonizing was actually orchestrated, and Bill treats it as a completed errand.
What does "ventral fin" refer to in the fishing scene?
The belly fin on a perch used for bait — Nick corrects Marjorie's technique, one of the story's moments of him maintaining the teacher role.
What is a "schooner" as used in the opening paragraph?
A sailing vessel with two or more masts, used here to carry away the lumber mill's machinery — literally carrying away the town's purpose.
What is a "night line" in fishing?
A fishing line set in the evening and left overnight with weighted bait on the bottom, checked the next morning for fish.
Why is Nick's final request to Bill — "Go away for a while" — significant?
It shows Nick is genuinely in pain despite having planned the breakup, but also that he still cannot articulate what he feels, even to his friend.
What does Marjorie's line "You don't need to" mean?
She refuses Nick's offer to help push the boat off — a small assertion of independence that says she no longer needs or wants anything from him.