Past the Shallows

by

Favel Parrett

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Past the Shallows makes teaching easy.

Uncle Nick Character Analysis

The late husband of Aunty Jean and uncle of Harry, Miles, and Joe Curren. Before his death, Uncle Nick was an abalone fisherman who worked alongside Dad on the family fishing boat. In Nick’s absence, Miles is forced to take his place and man the boat while his father and the other fishermen dive for abalone. Uncle Nick was a beloved relative of the Curren brothers, particularly of Miles, whom Nick taught how to surf. Dad convinces his family and the rest of the community that Uncle Nick drowned on the same night that Mum died in a car accident. He eventually reveals, however, that Nick and Mum had been having an affair and that they were leaving together with Miles and Harry in the car when they crashed. Dad confesses to Miles that he took Nick’s body away from the scene of the accident and left Mum there to die alongside Miles and Harry, in fear of anyone finding out about the affair. It is implied that Harry (and possibly Joe) are Nick’s biological sons rather than Dad’s, a revelation that tortures their father to the point that he lashes out violently at the two boys, breaking Joe’s arm and throwing Harry overboard from the fishing boat during a vicious storm.

Uncle Nick Quotes in Past the Shallows

The Past the Shallows quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle Nick or refer to Uncle Nick. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Hardship Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Harry picked up an abalone shell, the edges loose and dusty in his hands. And every cell in his body stopped. Felt it. This place. Felt the people who had been here before, breathing and standing live where he stood. People who were dead now. Long gone. And Harry understood it, right down in his guts, that time ran on forever and that one day he would die.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Granddad
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

First day of school holidays. First day he must man the boat alone while the men go down. Old enough now, he must take his place. Just like his brother before him, he must fill the gap Uncle Nick left.

Related Characters: Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Granddad, Jeff, Martin
Page Number: 9
Explanation and Analysis:

There were things that no one would teach you—things about the water. You just knew them or you didn’t and no one could tell you how to read it. How to feel it. Miles knew the water. He could feel it. And he knew not to trust it.

Related Characters: Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Jeff, Martin
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

He used to feel sorry for the abs when he was young. The way they pulsed and moved in the tubs, sensing the bright light and heat. But he couldn’t think about them like that now. He was only careful not to cut or bruise them, because once abs started to bleed, they kept on bleeding until all the liquid inside was gone. They just dried up and died.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Granddad, Jeff, Martin
Page Number: 30-31
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

Maybe that’s why Joe and Miles liked it so much. And he knew that Granddad would have taken him. It was just that he was too little, too small to go, when Granddad had been alive. And if Granddad hadn’t died then he definitely would have taken Harry fishing, too. And it would have been good, like this was.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, George Fuller, Uncle Nick, Granddad
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

Then they heard Dad yelling from inside. Yelling at them, at everyone. Yelling at no one. And Miles could hear the words. They came through the brown walls, through the air, and cracked open the night: “I never wanted you.”

Related Characters: Dad/Steven Curren (speaker), Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Jeff
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

He just kept starting at Harry. And his hand moved away from Harry’s hair, moved down to the string around his neck. And he cupped it in his palm—a white pointer’s tooth.

“It’s his,” he said, and his face went pale. “His.”

He let the tooth go. He stared down at Harry.

“She was leaving, because of him. Because of you.”

Related Characters: Dad/Steven Curren (speaker), Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Jeff
Related Symbols: Water, The Shark Tooth
Page Number: 198
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

But ultimately it wasn’t up to you. This ocean could hold you down for as long as it liked, and Miles knew it.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 204-205
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

He had been drifting for a lifetime and his mind had lost its way. It was dissolving and he had forgotten about Harry, forgotten about all the things that came before. There was only this vastness, the swing of a giant pendulum—water receding then flooding back. And he was part of it. Part of the deep water, part of the waves. Part of the rocks and reefs along the shore.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 42 Quotes

Miles let the rip that ran with the bluff carry him. He enjoyed the ride, felt his hands slipping through the cool water, body floating free. And there was this feeling in him like when it had all just been for fun, the water.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 228
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Past the Shallows LitChart as a printable PDF.
Past the Shallows PDF

Uncle Nick Quotes in Past the Shallows

The Past the Shallows quotes below are all either spoken by Uncle Nick or refer to Uncle Nick. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Brotherhood, Loyalty, and Hardship Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Harry picked up an abalone shell, the edges loose and dusty in his hands. And every cell in his body stopped. Felt it. This place. Felt the people who had been here before, breathing and standing live where he stood. People who were dead now. Long gone. And Harry understood it, right down in his guts, that time ran on forever and that one day he would die.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Granddad
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

First day of school holidays. First day he must man the boat alone while the men go down. Old enough now, he must take his place. Just like his brother before him, he must fill the gap Uncle Nick left.

Related Characters: Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Granddad, Jeff, Martin
Page Number: 9
Explanation and Analysis:

There were things that no one would teach you—things about the water. You just knew them or you didn’t and no one could tell you how to read it. How to feel it. Miles knew the water. He could feel it. And he knew not to trust it.

Related Characters: Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Jeff, Martin
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

He used to feel sorry for the abs when he was young. The way they pulsed and moved in the tubs, sensing the bright light and heat. But he couldn’t think about them like that now. He was only careful not to cut or bruise them, because once abs started to bleed, they kept on bleeding until all the liquid inside was gone. They just dried up and died.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Granddad, Jeff, Martin
Page Number: 30-31
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

Maybe that’s why Joe and Miles liked it so much. And he knew that Granddad would have taken him. It was just that he was too little, too small to go, when Granddad had been alive. And if Granddad hadn’t died then he definitely would have taken Harry fishing, too. And it would have been good, like this was.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, George Fuller, Uncle Nick, Granddad
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 102
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 24 Quotes

Then they heard Dad yelling from inside. Yelling at them, at everyone. Yelling at no one. And Miles could hear the words. They came through the brown walls, through the air, and cracked open the night: “I never wanted you.”

Related Characters: Dad/Steven Curren (speaker), Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Joe Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Jeff
Page Number: 135
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 36 Quotes

He just kept starting at Harry. And his hand moved away from Harry’s hair, moved down to the string around his neck. And he cupped it in his palm—a white pointer’s tooth.

“It’s his,” he said, and his face went pale. “His.”

He let the tooth go. He stared down at Harry.

“She was leaving, because of him. Because of you.”

Related Characters: Dad/Steven Curren (speaker), Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum, Jeff
Related Symbols: Water, The Shark Tooth
Page Number: 198
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

But ultimately it wasn’t up to you. This ocean could hold you down for as long as it liked, and Miles knew it.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 204-205
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 39 Quotes

He had been drifting for a lifetime and his mind had lost its way. It was dissolving and he had forgotten about Harry, forgotten about all the things that came before. There was only this vastness, the swing of a giant pendulum—water receding then flooding back. And he was part of it. Part of the deep water, part of the waves. Part of the rocks and reefs along the shore.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 42 Quotes

Miles let the rip that ran with the bluff carry him. He enjoyed the ride, felt his hands slipping through the cool water, body floating free. And there was this feeling in him like when it had all just been for fun, the water.

Related Characters: Harry Curren, Miles Curren, Dad/Steven Curren, Uncle Nick, Mum
Related Symbols: Water
Page Number: 228
Explanation and Analysis: