The Swimmer
The Swimmer by S.J. Butler
Fear is a feeling we all posses. You can be afraid of spiders, heights or maybe even something as common as water. Every human mind is different, and we all have our own fear and struggles. The short story “The Swimmer” (2011), written by S.J. Butler, is a story about a girl´s fear of life and her effort to overcome it. The theme of fear in the story is expressed by the main character´s development. Even the smallest decision, can change you for the rest of your life.
The story takes place in the middle of the nature, by a big river with many trees around it. The weather is extremely warm and everything is very peaceful. The main character is like the nature very hot and calm. In the river the setting is the opposite of its surroundings, it is gloriously fresh and “the water is opaque, swirling with tiny particles, a dirty muddy green from the soil it carries” (p.3 ll.48-49). The main character has a feeling of wanting to try something new, something refreshing and different just like the river. The difference between the river and its surroundings has a crucial significance for the main characters development.
The main character of the story is a girl with a daily routine, consisting of working and looking at the nature outside of her office´s window. She wants to go down and take a swim in the river, but her fear holds her back. The fear of being seen and what she might finds inside the river. The narrator explains that “every day she looks out at the river, and longs to swim in it” (p.2 ll.7-8). Even though she tries to convince herself to go swimming by reminding herself that “It´s a normal, natural act” (p.2 l.19), it has not stopped her from regretting, and going back to work again. The fear of not knowing where she might be swept to, and not being strong enough, symbolizes the main character as person. She doubts her own strength, not only in a physical way but also her personal strength, by not having the
Fear is a feeling we all posses. You can be afraid of spiders, heights or maybe even something as common as water. Every human mind is different, and we all have our own fear and struggles. The short story “The Swimmer” (2011), written by S.J. Butler, is a story about a girl´s fear of life and her effort to overcome it. The theme of fear in the story is expressed by the main character´s development. Even the smallest decision, can change you for the rest of your life.
The story takes place in the middle of the nature, by a big river with many trees around it. The weather is extremely warm and everything is very peaceful. The main character is like the nature very hot and calm. In the river the setting is the opposite of its surroundings, it is gloriously fresh and “the water is opaque, swirling with tiny particles, a dirty muddy green from the soil it carries” (p.3 ll.48-49). The main character has a feeling of wanting to try something new, something refreshing and different just like the river. The difference between the river and its surroundings has a crucial significance for the main characters development.
The main character of the story is a girl with a daily routine, consisting of working and looking at the nature outside of her office´s window. She wants to go down and take a swim in the river, but her fear holds her back. The fear of being seen and what she might finds inside the river. The narrator explains that “every day she looks out at the river, and longs to swim in it” (p.2 ll.7-8). Even though she tries to convince herself to go swimming by reminding herself that “It´s a normal, natural act” (p.2 l.19), it has not stopped her from regretting, and going back to work again. The fear of not knowing where she might be swept to, and not being strong enough, symbolizes the main character as person. She doubts her own strength, not only in a physical way but also her personal strength, by not having the