Reading Response I definitely think the subject of the story is about the fear of the unknown. When you swim in a pool you can see the bottom and everything else that is in the pool. But why are so many people afraid of swimming in open water? Humans fear what they do not understand and cannot see. In a lake or an ocean you do not know what is out there and you start to go crazy fearing the unknown. The main character in the story was terrified of open water. She did not know what was all in the open water or here bottom was so she feared the open water.
She could swim for miles and miles in a pool but as soon as it came to open water she was too afraid of the unknowns to go in. The main character did face her fears of the ocean but would not go out far enough for the water to get above of her head. She was still afraid of the unknown, where the bottom of the ocean was. The author foreshadowed a couple of times in the story. The first time was about how the main character was terrified of the open water and would not swim in it anymore. You could figure that, that might be important later on and she might have to face that fear head on.
The characters farther had also told her that if she moved to California with this guy, it will end badly and you will be stuck down there with nothing. Her father was absolutely correct, the guy was Just having a mid-life crises and as soon as he got over it, she was no longer needed in his life and they got divorced. There was also symbolism with colors throughout of the story. The color yellow to the character meant home, it was the lour of towel her dad wrapped her in and it was the color of macaroni and cheese, which her dad always made her.
Blue is also a really important color, it symbolizes comfort, she is comfortable in clear blue water of a pool but not the murky waters of the ocean. The lines on the bottom of the pool can be seen as a metaphor for guidance throughout her life. When she can see the lines there is no fear of the unknown, it guides her through her life but the ocean is a different story because there are no lines to guide her. The theme of the story is that you have to ace your fears of the unknown and do not let them control your entire life.
I can relate to this story in a personal way because I fear the future. I worry it is not going to be as good as I want it to be and it is not going to live up to my expectations. I fear that I will not be able to get my commercial pilots license and will not be able to fly. I fear that I will not get the Job that I want. I do not know why I fear this, considering I have no control over it but it always makes me wonder what life is going to be like and if I should be afraid of it or not.
Every person this earth has a fear of something, no matter how big or small but only a small percentage of them actually face their fears. Most people Just let them take over their lives and will not face them. Everybody needs to face there fears so they can live their lives to the fullest. You do not want to be stuck not doing something with your friends because you are afraid, you need to face your fears and do it. It is very important for every human to face their fears so they can live their life with no worries and no regrets. Touching Bottom Reading Response By chanciness
