Deep water

Deep Water Summary In English

William 0. Douglas recalls a misadventure of childhood. It had happened when
he was ten or eleven years old. He had decided to learn to swim. There was a
pool at the Y.M.C.A. in Yakima, which was safe. It was only two or three feet
deep at the shallow end and nine feet deep at the other. The drop was gradual.
He got a pair of water wings and went to the pool. He hated to walk naked into
water and show his very thin legs.

The author had developed an aversion to the water when he was three or four.
His father had taken him to the beach in California. They stood together on the
surf. The waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried under
water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. His father laughed, but the
overpowering force of the waves filled terror in the young author’s heart.

Unpleasant memories were revived when he went to the Y.M.C.A. pool for the
first time. Childish fears were stirred. But soon he gathered confidence. He
watched other boys paddling on water with their water wings. He tried to learn
by imitating them. He did this two or three times on different days. He was just
beginning to feel comfortable in the water when the misadventure happened.

When he went to the pool, there was no one else. So he sat on the side of the
pool to wait for others. Shortly afterwards a big boy, a boxer, came. He was
probably eighteen years old and had beautiful muscles on his legs and arms.
He called the author ‘Skinny and asked how he would like to be plunged in
water.

The boxer boy picked Douglas and threw him into the deep end. He struck
water in a sitting position. He swallowed water and at once went to the
bottom. He was frightened, but did not lose his wits. He made a plan. He
would make a big jump when his feet hit the bottom. He would come to the
surface like a cork, lie flat on it and then paddle to the edge of the pool.
Those nine feet appeared more than ninety. Before he touched bottom his
lungs were ready to burst. When his feet hit the bottom, he made a great jump
upwards, but he failed to reach the surface at once. He came up slowly. His
eyes and nose came out of water, but not his mouth. He moved around his
legs on the surface of water. He swallowed water and choked. He tried to
bring his legs up, but they hung as dead weights. He again went down to the
bottom of the pool.

He was shrieking under water because terror had seized him. He was
paralysed under water, but his heart and the pounding in head told him that he
was still alive. When he hit the bottom, he jumped with his full might. The jump
made no difference. The water was still around him. His arms and legs
wouldn’t move. He trembled with fear. He tried to call for help, to call mother,
but nothing happened. Then he rose up. His eyes and nose were almost out of
water. He sucked for air and got water. He started going down a third time.

Then all efforts ended and he relaxed. A blackness swept over his brain and
wiped out terror. There was no more panic. He felt drowsy and wanted to
sleep. He gave up all attempts. He forgot everything. When he came to his
senses, he found himself lying on his stomach beside the pool vomiting. The
boy who had thrown him in said, “I was only fooling.” Someone said that the
kid had nearly died. Then they took him to the locker room.

He walked home after several hours. He was weak and trembling. He shook
and cried when he lay on his bed. He couldn’t eat that night. For days a
haunting fear was in his heart. He never went back to the pool. He feared
water and avoided it whenever he could.

A few years later, he came to know the waters of the Cascades. He wanted to
get into them. Whenever he did so, the terror that had seized him in the pool,
returned. His legs would become paralysed. An icy horror would grab his heart.
This handicap remained with him even as time passed. Wherever he went, the
haunting fear of water followed him. It ruined his fishing trips. It deprived him
of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming.

Then the instructor held him at the side of the pool and had him kick with his
legs. He did so for weeks. Gradually his legs relaxed. Thus, piece by piece, he
built a swimmer. When he had perfected each piece, he put them together into
an integrated whole. He had started practising in October and in April the
trainer told him that he could swim. He asked the author to dive off and swim
the length of the pool. He began with crawl stroke.

When he swam alone in the pool tiny remnants of the old terror would return.
But now he could rebuke his terror. This went on till July. He was still not
satisfied. So he went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire. There he dived off
a dock at Triggs Island. He swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act
Island. He swam the crawl, breast stroke, side stroke and back stroke. The
terror returned only once. When he was in the middle of the lake, he put his
face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. He asked terror what it
could do to him and it fled away.

Some doubts still remained. So he went up the Tieton to Conrad Meadows, up

the Conrad Trail to Meade Glacier. He camped in the high meadow by the side
of Warm Lake. Next morning, he dived into the lake and swam across to the
other shore and back. He shouted with joy, and Gilbert Peak returned the echo.
He had conquered his fear of water.

The experience had a deeper meaning for him. Only those who have known
stark terror and conquered it can appreciate it. In death there is peace. There
is terror only in the fear of death. Roosevelt knew it. He said, “All we have to
fear is fear itself.” Douglas had experienced both the sensation of dying and
the terror that fear of it can produce. The will to live somehow grew in
intensity.

Question and answers

What is the short summary of deep water?

Deep Water is about the writer’s journey of overcoming the fear of water, which is
deeply rooted in him since childhood. The author started fearing water since the age of
four. It starts when he was visiting California with his father. He visits a beach where a
wave knocks him down and sweeps over him.

What is the main theme of deep water?

Deep Water Theme

‘Deep Water’ deals with the childhood fear of Douglas. A misadventure at the YMCA
pool developed an aversion of water in him and he suffered from hydrophobia. The
story focuses on the fact that childhood fears must never be treated lightly.

What do we learn from deep water?

The story teaches us the lesson of determination and will power. As a result of an
unfortunate incident with a bully, the writer had developed an extreme fear of the water.
However, he decides to face his fear and works hard until he becomes a good
swimmer.

What message does the lesson deep water convey?

William Douglas was able to overcome his fear by sheer determination. The message
conveyed by this story is that it is not death but the fear of death that creates terror in
our mind, so that fear needs to be shaken off. Also, any fears can be conquered if we
try hard enough.

What lesson does the chapter Deep water teach us

or what does the writer want to convey through
deep water?
Message of the lesson

The story ―Deep Watersǁ tells us how the writer overcame his fear of water and
learned swimming through sheer determination and willpower. He had developed a
terror of water since childhood. William Douglas was able to overcome his fear by
sheer determination.

What is the significance of the title deep water?

The title’ Deep water ‘is quite appropriate to this extract from ‘Of Men and Mountains’.
By William O Douglas. The title is highly suggestive and at once focuses our attention
on the main theme-experiencing fear of death under water and the efforts of the author
to overcome it.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. What is the “misadventure ” that William Douglas speaks about?
Ans. William O. Douglas had just learnt swimming. One day, an eighteen year old big bruiser
picked him up and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A. pool. He hit the water
surface in a sitting position. He swallowed water and went at once to the bottom. He nearly died in
this misadventure.

Q2. What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown
into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?
Ans. Douglas was frightened when he was thrown into the pool. However, he was not frightened
out of his wits. While sinking down he made a plan. He would make a big jump when his feet hit
the bottom. He would come to the surface like a cork, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the
pool.
Q3. How did this experience affect him?
Ans. This experience revived his aversion to water. He shook and cried when he lay on his bed. He
couldn’t eat that night. For many days, there was a haunting fear in his heart. The slightest
exertion upset him, making him wobbly in the knees and sick to his stomach. He never went back
to the pool. He feared water and avoided it whenever he could.

THINK AS YOU READ

Q1. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Ans. His fear of water ruined his fishing trips. It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating, and
swimming. Douglas used every way he knew to overcome this fear he had developed ’since
childhood. Even as an adult, it held him firmly in its grip. He determined to get an instructor and
learn swimming to get over this fear of water.

Q2. How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?

Ans. The instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece. For three months he held him
high on a rope attached to his belt. He went back and forth across the pool. Panic seized the
author everytime. The instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale and to
raise his nose and inhale. Then Douglas had to kick with his legs for many weeks till these relaxed.
After seven months the instructor told him to swim the length of the pool.

Q3. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Ans. Douglas still felt terror-stricken when he was alone in the pool. The remnants of the old terror
would return, but he would rebuke it and go for another length of the pool. He was still not
satisfied. So, he went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a dock at Triggs Island and
swam two miles across the lake. He had his residual doubts. So, he went to Meade Glacier, dived
into Warm Lake and swam across to the other shore and back.Thus, he made sure that he had
conquered the old terror.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Q1. How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost
drowned? Describe the details that have made the description vivid.
Ans. Douglas gives a detailed account of his feelings and efforts to save himself from getting
drowned. He uses literary devices to make the description graphic and vivid. For example,
‘Those nine feet were more like ninety’, ‘My lungs were ready to burst.’ ‘I came up slowly,
I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water….. I grew panicky1 ‘I was suffocating. I
tried to yell, but no sound came out!’ ‘
Q2. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?
Ans. When Douglas grew up, he took the help of an instructor to learn swimming. His training went
on from October to April. For three months he was taken across the pool with the help of a rope.
As he went under, terror filled him and his legs froze. The instructor taught him to exhale under
water and inhale through raised nose. He made him kick his legs to make them relax. Then he
asked him to swim. He continued swimming from April to July. Still all terror had not left. He
swam two miles across Lake Wentworth and the whole length to the shore and back of Warm
Lake. Then he overcame his fear of water.

Q3. Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering
of it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?
Ans. The experience of terror was a handicap Douglas suffered from during his childhood. His
conquering of it shows his determination, will power and development of his personality.
He drew a larger meaning from this experience. “In death there is peace.” “There is terror only in
the fear of death.” He had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can
produce. So, the will to live somehow grew in intensity. He felt released- free to walk the mountain
paths, climb the peaks and brush aside fear.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT

Q1.“All ice have to fear is fear itself” Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome?
Share your experience with your partner.
Ans. I must have been about eight or nine years old. It was the night of Diwali. All the houses were
shining bright with the rows of candles, oil lamps and electric bulbs. Children were bursting
crackers. Suddenly, a cracker went up and hit the thatched roof of a poor gardener. Soon the hut
was in flames. His only son, a tiny infant had severe burns before he could be rescued. I began to
tremble with fear as the police questioned the boys exploding crackers. From then on I had a fear
of crackers, fire and police. My parents and I had to work very hard to remove this blemish. It was
adversely affecting
my personality. By learning the safeguards against fire and safe handling of crackers, I
gradually overcame my fear. However, I still get panicked at the sight of a policeman in uniform.
The fear of police remained now; My uncle came to my rescue. He got me dressed as a police
inspector in one of his plays, I commanded many policemen and scolded them for misbehaving
with the common people. I learnt that policemen were also, humans and not demons. Police
protect and help us to maintain law and order. Thank God, I have overcome all my fears now.

WRITING
Q1. Doing well in any activity, for example a sport, music, dance or painting, riding a motorcycle
or a car, involves a great deal of struggle. Most of us are very nervous to begin with until
gradually we overcome our fears and perform well.
Write an essay of about five paragraphs recounting such an experience. Try to recollect minute
details of what caused the fear, your feelings, the encouragement you got from others or the
criticism.
You could begin with the last sentence of the essay you have just read: “At last I felt
released—free to walk the trails and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear.”
Ans. MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF RIDING A MOTORCYCLE
At last I felt released, free to walk the trails and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear. This fear
of injuries had been my old enemy and had thwarted me at crucial moments. I remember exactly
when I started developing this fear. I was a toddler when I was given a tricycle. I would lose
balance and the tricycle would fall over me.
As I grew older, I was given dwarfer versions of cycles but my road fear persisted. I would hit
someone or something and fall down. Sometimes the injuries took time to heal. I felt annoyed with
myself and cursed my fear. But fern assumed monster like proportions.
Now I had passed tenth class examination and joined the city school. My father gifted me a Hero
Honda mobike on my birthday. My uncle volunteered to train me. After telling me in details the
functions of various parts, he took me to the playground. He sat behind me and issued orders. He
held me firmly at first. When I had learnt to start the vehicle,
change gear, increase and decrease speed, turn the vehicle and come to a stop, he asked me to
take a round. I perspired from head to foot. He reassured me and encouraged me. I regained my
confidence.
Then I took a short round of the playground. I still hesitated while tinning the comer. Uncle
explained the mechanism and demonstrated how to handle the machine.
Finally, I took three rounds of the playground. Then uncle and I came to the side road. He trained
me how to avoid the vehicles and give them passage. I drove to the city and returned safe. I had
conquered fear and learnt how to ride a motorcycle.