Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.
One's nostrils are two S's and his eyes .
An E and O. And one is squat, without.
A head at all "more of a football type. (7-12).
First, Updike uses the pumps as symbolic basketball players. He uses the word "idiot- for a reason: Flick did not make the best choices regarding his future by never having any ambitions beyond high school. Flick stands out among the pumps, however, much like he stood out amongst the other players on his basketball team in high school. He is taller than the pumps, and five pumps on each side resembles the set-up of players in a basketball game. The pump on the end, which is affectionately referred to as "more of a football type- seems diminished, like Flick. .
Although Flick's character has weakened since his school days, he still appears to possess certain qualities pertaining to his basketball career: "His hands are fine and nervous on the lug wrench It makes no difference to the lug wrench, though- (23-24). Yes, it may not make a difference to a lug wrench, but Flick was once something extraordinary. These lines also describe Flick's dissatisfaction with his current life. At one time, Flick did make a difference to many: His fans. In these lines, he handles the lug wrench like he once would have handled a basketball. It almost sounds as if the basketball itself would have cared about the way Flick handled it when the speaker states: "He was good: in fact, the best. In '46 He bucketed three hundred ninety points, A county record still. The ball loved Flick- (14-16). If the ex-basketball player had also possessed the tenacity to achieve more after high school, he may have still had something or someone in his life to care about, even if it wasn't a basketball. .
Although Flick no longer has a basketball to keep him on his toes, he spends time in a luncheonette, avidly participating in a vicious game of pinball.
