“Speckle Trout Analysis” “Speckle Trout” was written by Ron Rash in 2005. Ron Rash was born in Chester, South Carolina in 1953; however, he grew up in Boiling Springs, South Carolina. This is a small town in South Carolina and was the inspiration for most of Ron’s stories. “Speckle Trout” is written about a sixteen year old boy that lives in a small town similar to the one that Ron Rash grew up in. The young boy thinks that he is invulnerable to everything, and he does not listen to anyone that warns him of his actions. The boy learns the hard way that he is not invulnerable and how valuable his life is when he is when it reaches the end. “Speckle Trout” takes place in a small town near the French Broad River in North Carolina during the present time. The town is a small country town where there is not much excitement. It holds a small creek called Caney Creek where many of the locals spend their time fishing for the several species of trout and the occasional catfish. The creek flows out of the French Broad and runs through the town. Brushy Mountain borders the town and the many crop fields that separate the farms. Several of the crop fields are filled with tobacco. Although each farm holds different crops, tobacco is the primary crop and the main source of income for some of the families. This is a quiet country town, but it can tend to hold a lot of excitement that is not expected. There are only a few characters in the story, but they are some of the more interesting people to learn about. The main character is a sixteen year old boy named Lanny Burgess. Lanny is a very cocky young man, and he thinks that he is invincible. Lanny meets a man by the name of Leonard Hamby. Leonard is not a very tall man, but he has a rather large belly. Leonard is a very smart man and makes a living by selling drugs and beer. Even though most people think he is a man that should
