魚 - Short Story for 2014

[kikosun]

Thanks for posting the links to that story. I was able to read through it once with a little help from pop-up dictionaries. I'm going to try reading through it again in a few days without them. I think I understand the story, and I thought it was kind of sad. I don't think I know enough to confidently comment on the grammar. I'm happy just being able to understand the gist of the story...  I'm new here, but I like this story of the month/year program. I'll keep looking through the other recommended stories!

[Meng Lelan]

Glad to have you here! I will be back on with the short stories after I host the teacher after next week. 

[Lu]

Finally got around to reading this story and it's really good. I read some 黄春明 before and strongly disliked it, in my view he was rooting for the wrong person in his stories a few times too many (especially in 莎哟娜啦，再见 and 小巴哈). But in mulling over 鱼 I find myself retroactively re-appreciating him. Huang may have been misguided here and there, his overall idea, even in those stories, was good.

My thoughts, with some spoilers:

The fish here, as I read it, is the success & progress that grandfather never managed to attain and that he is now hoping for in his grandson. (It becomes clear in the first sentence that that fish is never going to reach grandfather.) Not sure how to understand the ending: 阿抢 was trying, grandfather believes that he has tried, but 阿抢 would rather that grandfather didn't believe him -> that grandfather believes 阿抢 didn't even try? Still 阿抢 tries to convince grandfather, but really he's trying to convince himself. But I'm not quite sure of what.