What does the fishing pole symbolize in the story, Black Man and White Woman in Dark Green Rowboat?

The fishing pole represents hope in this story. After the young man is told that there will be no fish in the water, he brings his fishing pole regardless. This shows that he is still hopeful that he will catch some fish. This becomes futile because he is unsuccessful when he later tries to fish. This shows that the fishing pole is one of the rare symbols of hope in this story, and when the man fails to catch fish, the hope that is symbolized by the pole vanishes.