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Human Nature And The Human Beings

Decent Essays

As human beings, we have all experienced the notion of being plagued by a single, paralyzing, and perhaps irrational fear. Often seen as a point of weakness and fragility, fear is an integral part of human nature and for the most part, cannot be destroyed, but merely conquered. Touching Bottom follows the female protagonist in her endeavors through her life in relation to her fear. A major variable in her life is swimming and being around water, as the story kicks off with her struggles in learning to swim. She undergoes a traumatizing experience with a leech at summer camp, leaving her paralyzed with a fear of murky water, and leeches specifically, a fear she carries on with her throughout her life. Forward to the protagonist as a married …show more content…

Years later, she still finds herself nervous and uncomfortable in the murky water of lakes, rivers, and any body of water with a reasonable depth. She claims that “That kind of water made my throat open too wide to bring the air into my lungs, made me breathe fast, out of control”, depicting that she has a hard time overcoming the rush of emotions she undergoes in that type of environment. Her reaction in regards to the water, as well as how she describes the feeling she gets, displays that she still holds with her this fear of the unknown, which is embodied in this short story by muddled waters. She describes a variant of a panic attack she receives at the expense of these waters; clearly showcasing the tremendous affect fear has on her and the way she goes about living her life. Therefore, it is evident that the protagonist’s fear of the unknown is pivotal to the storyline.

Within the short story Touching Bottom; the main character makes many realizations about her life. The female protagonist realizes that her husband is not the man she initially thought he was, and that she deserves better. For example, she states “I was swimming and wondering if, in California, it was okay for a married man to lie on the beach watching girls while his second wife entertained his son” (127). Through this quote, it is clear that in that moment, she comes to the realization that this is not the way she should be treated by her husband,

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