For example, one of the first questions he asks himself is "Where do I come from?"  But perhaps, the more reasonable question is one in which he's most likely to find an answer:  Where does the name Fletcher come from?

The search result can be likened to Aristotle's Arrow Paradox.  The question is as motionless as its answer.  The searcher is like the arrow. At any given point in time, they aren't really searching because time occurring to allow for the results to arrive.  Instead, each moment they spend searching is an equal moment spent evaluating the results.  

Adam's quest for the origin of his name leads him to the history of Archery in England.  This doesn't lead to much other than viewing a few archery competitions.  The soldier in him won't quit and begins to wonder if why archery was so important.  Who were they defending themselves against?  The French?  Why were they so feared?