DEEP WATER (Flamingo)

By William Douglas


1. What was the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks about?

William Douglas had a terrible experience of being thrown into the swimming pool when he was ten or eleven by a eighteen year old boy. He struggled to come out of water but failed until he lost consciousness and was rescued. That experience created fear in him whenever he came near water. 

2. 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? 

When Douglas was thrown into water he landed in a sitting position, swallowed water and went to the bottom. He was frightened, but while going downwards in the water he planned that when his feet hit the bottom, he would make a big jump, come to the surface, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool. But it was not as simple as he had imagined. Then terror struck him when he made repeated attempts but finally fell unconscious and was pulled out from the pool. The author was first frightened but made his attempts to swim across to the edge of the pool, but he failed and was struck by terror. He tried to jump out of water but he couldn’t which made him more terrified, finally he relaxed and fell unconscious. 

3. How did this experience affect him? 

Several hours after his recovery he felt very weak and his legs trembled. He shook and cried when he lay on his bed and could not eat that night. For days a haunting fear gripped his heart. He took some time to recover from weakness but he feared water and avoided it whenever he could. 

4. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water? 

Douglas was determined to overcome his fear of water when he came to know the waters of the cascades. He wanted to get into them but whenever he tried the terrorizing memory of the pool would come back. It would grip him completely and his legs became numb. It ruined his fishing trips and deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming. 

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

The instructor first put a belt around him to which a rope was attached. This rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope, and Douglas swam like this for weeks. Three months later the tension began to decrease. Then, he taught Douglas to exhale under water and to raise his nose and inhale. After repeated practice he overcame a part of his fear when his head went under water. Next, the instructor held him at the side of the pool and made him kick with his legs. Gradually, after weeks of doing so, his legs relaxed. When he had perfected each piece, he put them together into an integrated whole. Thus, bit by bit the instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas. 

6. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?

To make sure he had conquered fear, Douglas went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dove in and swam two miles across the lake to Stamp Act Island. Only once when he was in the middle of the lake, did the terror return. But he confronted it and swam on. He then swam across Warm Lake to the other shore and back. Thus, he was sure of having conquered his fear. 

7. 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.

Douglas was thrown into the deep end of the pool by a big and strong boy. He landed in a sitting position, swallowing water and went at once to the bottom. As he was falling to the bottom of the pool, he decided to make a big jump come to the surface, lie flat on it and paddle to the edge of the pool. At this point, he was frightened but not scared out of his wits. 

But the nine feet depth of the pool was more like ninety, and before he touched the bottom his lungs were ready to burst. Gathering all his strength he tried to jump. Contrary to what he had thought he came up slowly. On opening his eyes he saw nothing but water. He was terrified and suffocated. He tried to scream but in vain as his mouth was in water. 

He thrashed at the surface of the water but his legs seemed to hang as a log refusing to move. He was being pulled under water, to the bottom of the pool. Breathlessly he hit at the water with all his strength. His lungs and head ached and he began feeling dizzy. He attempted to repeat his strategy but was once again unsuccessful. This time when he went down to the bottom of the swimming pool he was extremely terrified. He felt fear overcome his body and it became rigid with fear. 

He tried for the third time with all his strength but it made no difference. He was still in water, he groped around for something but felt only water. He felt even more terrorized and his limbs refused to move. He tried to call for help but nothing happened. Then, strangely he saw light that meant he was coming out of the awful yellow water. His eyes and nose were almost out. But this was short-lived as for the third time he was being pulled down. Helplessly, he stopped making an effort. He just let go-his legs fell limp and blackness swept over him. The writer makes the description vivid by giving graphic details of the situation and his fear. 

8. How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?

Douglas overcame his fear of water through sheer determination. The experience he had, as a child when he was thrown into the pool created a fear in him whenever he attempted going into the water. 

His instructor taught him to swim yet he would be terror stricken when he was alone in the pool. He swam tirelessly up and down the length of the pool but he was not sure that all the terror had left. So he went to Lake Wentworth, in New Hampshire and swam two miles across the lake and only in the middle of the lake he felt fear but he confronted it and swam on. To make sure that he overcame his fear completely he went up to Meade Glacier and dove into the warm Lake. This assured him that he had accomplished his desire to overcome his fear of water. 

9. What is your impression of Douglas’s swimming instructor ?

Douglas’ instructor was very patient. He was an expert-swimmer and teacher. He uses scientific approach to teach him to swim and also to instill confidence in him.The instructor first put a belt around him to which a rope was attached. This rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. He held on to the end of the rope, and Douglas swam like this for weeks. Three months later the tension began to decrease. Then, he taught Douglas to exhale under water and to raise his nose and inhale. After repeated practice he overcame a part of his fear when his head went under. The instructor taught Douglas each and every step meticulously to overcome his fear and gain confidence to enjoy the joy of swimming in water. 

10. Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and of conquering it? What larger meaning does he draw from this experience?

Douglas, as an adult recounts his childhood experience of terror and his way of conquering it. He recalls how terrified he was to get down inside water and finally how he swam across Warm Lake to the other shore and back just as Doug Corpron used to do. More than him becoming an accomplished swimmer he rejoiced at having conquered his fear of water. 

He feels that the experience had a deep meaning for him as he had conquered the feeling of fear. He says that in death there is peace but there is terror only in the fear of death. He has experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that fear of it can produce. He realized that the richness of life is found in adventure. He wanted to be free to walk the trails and climb the peaks and to brush aside fear. Life then teems with excitement. Hence sharing his experience would be immensely useful to others who feel scared like he did when he was young.