In societies around the world, namely (and in this case) in the United States, the concept of race has been ingrained in the minds of the population throughout the decades in a negative connotation and as a defining characteristic of distinctive groupings of people. In W.E.B Du Bois’ “The Comet”, the seemingly apocryphal significance of the chasm amongst people of different colored skin is stripped away when the main characters are brought back to their most simplistic, almost primitive forms. Although Du Bois utilizes many stylistic devices to further develop his criticism of racism (by way of illustration, the religious analogies he utilizes when it comes to Jim and Julia’s relationship) as well as to drive the plot of the story, throughout the text he uses water (and bodies of) to aid the aforementioned purpose of the story. But most importantly, water is utilized to enhance and reflect the tone and mood as presented by the characters of the story.
Throughout literature, water has been a ubiquitous symbol which represents many different aspects. The first mention of water in the story comes in the very first line, where Jim observes the “human river that swirled around Broadway” (Du Bois 1). As one of the most abundant substances in the planet, and one of the believed reasons for the existence of life on Earth, it is fitting for this metaphor to be used to describe the state of the streets of such a crowded city. The vibrant, dynamic flow of the crowd mimics that of a river, which boasts of life. Contrastingly, Du Bois uses the image of a river to reflect the death that came about after the comet, as Jim and Julie “scanned the river” and found nothing but “silence, silence everywhere, and no human sign” (6). The state of the water reflects the transition in tone and mood of the story; in the beginning it reflected the dynamic city, and at this point of the story it reflects the solitude and death that lingers in the air. Death came over the city and flooded it like a river.
Furthermore, water appears later in the story described as “dark”, “restless”, “cold”, “luring”, and “black” (Du Bois 8). This description of water comes at a point in the story where both protagonists are equally as restless, given that they had been attempting to find other alive humans and had been searching for other survivors for quite some time. This point of the story, and this paragraph specifically where water is mentioned six times, represents a point of tension at which the reader can almost feel the desperation in the actions of Jim and Julia. Their progress (and namely, their mental state) can be seen as somewhat linear and, at this point in time, they have reached a peak. Jim is hopeless, and desires to succumb to the waters where “the world lies beneath” (8), a reaction that can be expected from someone who has witnessed so much death and despair in such little time. However, the tone shifts yet again when Jim and Julia turn away from the waters and upwards, both literally and metaphorically. As they ascend and climb toward the roof of the tower, they glance outward into “the shining of the sea” (8), which is now filled with calmness, and gives way for a transition.
The vastness of the sea reflects the endless possibilities for life that the characters are then presented with as the remaining survivors. The story shifts toward the pivotal point of the narrative in which Jim and Julia no longer see each other through the judgmental eyes of society, but rather as equals and more importantly just humans. From the horizon, hope glimmers and shines, and surrounded by water (both the shimmering sea and the rivers of bodies down below) both humans are beginning to be rise as different people than they were in the beginning. Water is used in many cultures as a symbol for baptism and for renewal. It can also be seen as a symbol for purity, which can be understood as holiness or simply cleanliness. When staring out to sea, and then to each other, it is as if the characteristics that separated them once no longer exist in this boundless stillness reflected over the surface of the ocean. They are cleaned and stripped away from prejudices and reverted back to their primal from, as a man and a woman.
However, this reality is brief. Although water can be pure and calm, it can also be fast and turbulent. After encountering Julia’s father, other survivors begin to appear and “the crowd pour(s) up and out of elevators” (Du Bois 11). Much like the image of the river used in the beginning to describe the dynamism of life in the city, the river of people come flooding and disturb the peace that had been created between Jim and Julia. The “river of people” creates a rift between the protagonists, and as other people similar to Julia come out and pester them with questions regarding Jim’s intentions and potential violent actions, Jim finds himself buried by the same prejudices that had once been in place prior to the death and destruction caused by the comment. It is also as if Jim is standing by the shore of the river, by himself, watching the flow continue along life and marching toward a peaceful, “shining sea” (8), vast and filled with opportunities for those who are privileged enough to belong to said river flow (i.e., white, wealthy people such as Julia, her father and the others.)
Water is ever flowing, constant, moving, and it is used both as a positive and negative image throughout the story. However, water is not inherently good or evil, but rather is perceived in that way by people affected by its natural state. Where people might see the flow of a river as significance of the abundance of life, others might see it as a destructive force that takes everything in its path without hesitation. This can also be said of society and its perceptions; some might see certain aspects of human life (specifically race, but also other characteristics that might create distinctions between people) as forces to be reckoned with, but at the end of the day these are as natural as the flow of the river going downstream.
