Peter's hat
The narrator commences the novel by depicting imagery. The narrator writes, “At the end of the century before last, in the market square of the city of Baltese, there stood a boy with a hat on his head and a coin in his hand.” The boy wearing a hat is the protagonist of the story, Peter. The description of Peter shows readers how indecisive he is about what to do next. Peter is facing a conflict between spending the money from his guardian to buy the intended fish and bread or using the money to pay a soothsayer to know the truth about his sister. At last, Peter makes a weird decision of using the coin to pay a clairvoyant for the service he needs most.
The old soldier’s house
Peter is living with his guardian, Lutz, the old soldier who adopted him after his father's death in the battle. The old soldier is not rich materially, but he is kind. The narrator uses imagery to show the soldier's living conditions because they could only afford a candle to light the room. The narrator writes, “Later that night, when the candle was quenched, and the room was in darkness, and the old soldier was snoring in his bed, Peter lay on his pallet on the floor and looked up at the ceiling.” Despite not having much in his possession, the soldier found it worth providing for Peter and taking care of him.
The fishmonger’s selection
Lutz does not want excuses from Peter for spending money on the useless fortuneteller. He gives clear instructions to Peter, demanding that he buys even the smallest fish but not come home empty like the last time. While at the market, “Peter surveyed the fishmonger’s selection. His stomach growled. He was hungry, and he was worried. He could not see anything alarmingly small enough to please the old soldier.” The fishmonger’s selection shows Peter's keenness this time round not to disappoint the old man.
