Bert Bruce Character Analysis

Bert Bruce is a retiree whose cabin Sterling and Rascal stumble onto in the woods around Lake Superior. He kindly takes them in and shows them his fishing flies. He explains that he had to run a store in Chicago for 30 years before he could retire to the woods. He befriends Sterling’s father as well during their trip.

Bert Bruce Quotes in Rascal

The Rascal quotes below are all either spoken by Bert Bruce or refer to Bert Bruce. 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:
Nature and Animals Theme Icon
).

4. August Quotes

Somewhere it must all be recorded, as insects are captured in amber—that day on the river: transcribed in Brule water, written on the autumn air, safe at least in my memory.

Related Characters: Sterling (speaker), Father, Bert Bruce, Rascal
Related Symbols: Canoe
Page Number and Citation: 105
Explanation and Analysis:
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Bert Bruce Character Timeline in Rascal

The timeline below shows where the character Bert Bruce appears in Rascal. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
4. August
Nature and Animals Theme Icon
...and Sterling scolds Rascal, but the fisherman laughs, unbothered. Sterling nets the trout, and the fisherman—Bert Bruce is his name—invites him back to his cabin. (full context)
Nature and Animals Theme Icon
Sterling adores Bert’s cabin, eminently livable and decked out with outdoorsman’s paraphernalia. Bert impresses Sterling with a mounted... (full context)
Nature and Animals Theme Icon
Coming of Age Theme Icon
Bert tells Sterling he lives here alone, disliking the company of women, who insist on cleanliness.... (full context)
Nature and Animals Theme Icon
In the ensuing weeks, Bert and Sterling’s father become friends, exchanging stories about the American Indians. The court case wraps... (full context)