“And yet, as he ran, he looked over his shoulder at the wild bay; and all morning, as he played on the safe beach, he was thinking of it.”

This quote sets up the story’s central conflict. Jerry wants to explore the dangerous beach—which symbolizes his desire for independence—but he is torn between that world and the world of safety he experiences with his mother. This directly ties the story’s setting to its themes.

“She walked away, that bare arm, now slightly reddened from yesterday’s sun, swinging. And he almost ran after her again, feeling it unbearable that she should go by herself, but he did not.”

This is when Jerry first strays from his mother. It shows his growing independence but also the loneliness that comes with it. Jerry’s conflict with himself pervades and propels the story.

“He went out fast over the gleaming sand, over a middle region where rocks lay like discolored monsters under the surface, and then he was in the real sea—a warm sea where irregular cold currents from the deep water shocked his limbs.”

This quote further establishes the setting for Jerry’s journey. The rocky bay is not tame but wild. Because this wildness is what first entices Jerry toward maturation, it is what first sparks his character growth.