Class 12, Deep Water

Flamingo

Chapter 3

Deep Water

FULL NOTES

1) A childhood venture

• Douglas plans to learn swimming
• Y.M.C.A pool chosen for the venture because it was safe; only
• 9 feet deep and 2 feet at shallow ends
• Yakima river out of question because it had claimed many lives

2) Equipped to learn the sport

• gets a pair of water wings
• conscious of exposing skinny legs
• curbs his complex and overcomes pride

3) Aversion to water resurfaces

• aversion: the result of a childhood experience
• had got knocked down by waves at California beach
• father had taken it lightly but terror struck Douglas's heart
• years later Y.M.C.A pool revived unpleasant memories
• childish fears of water stirred once again

4) Beginning to feel comfortable in water

• practice helps shaking off fear
• the feeling of uneasiness begins to disappear
• gradually builds up confidence

5) Douglas's misadventure in the swimming pool

• one day, all alone at the pool
• silence all over
• water in the pool absolutely still
• has no courage to plunge into the pool alone
• sits on the side of the pool and waits
• soon an eighteen-year-old boy arrives
• he has a hairy chest, bulging muscles and an impressive physique
• boy fools Douglas; hurls him into deep side of the pool
• Douglas falls into water in a sitting position

6) Douglas's plan to manage the crisis

• Douglas at once goes to the bottom of the pool
• is frightened but alert
• plans to push himself upward on touching the bottom
• next to lie flat on the back and to paddle towards safety

7) The never-ending fall

• Douglas goes down to the bottom
• nine feet appear like ninety feet
• acute uneasiness
• lungs ready to burst

8) At the bottom

• Douglas hits the bottom
• summons up all his strength
• strains to heave up
• contrary to expectation of springing to the surface, starts coming up slowly

9) Desperate efforts for survival

• tries to clutch a rope
• only water runs through the fingers
• feels suffocated
• through eyes and nose out of water, mouth still inside
• water swallowed
• legs stiff like lifeless objects

10) An irresistible downward pull

• sucked to the bottom again
• desperate screaming, lost in water
• a futile struggle
• dizziness with aching lungs and throbbing head
• acute physical discomfort
• mind still retains the plan to avoid drowning

11) Terrified out of his wits

• water all around
• going down endlessly
• seized by terror
• unable even to scream
• absolutely incapacitated
• the thumping heart and pounding head only signs of life in him

12) Yet another futile effort

• mind clouded with fear
• still doesn't give up
• takes a leap with all the strength
• success evades
• comes out of water momentarily
• starts going down for the third time

13) The comfort of rescuing arms

• Douglas now gives up all efforts
• surrenders to the rescuing arms
• fear, panic, anxiety: all forgotten
• total relaxation
• passes into oblivion

14) Consciousness regained

• finds himself next to the pool, vomiting
• the big bully makes a lame excuse, "But I was only fooling"
• Douglas has a close brush with death

15) After-effects of the unpleasant experience

• hours later: weak and trembling, reaches home
• cannot eat anything that night
• fear haunts him for days together
• gets upset by slightest exertion
• feels wobbly in the knees and sick to his stomach
• develops phobia of water
• never revisits the pool
• avoids all water bodies

16) A few years later

• haunting fear of childhood followed him
• joy of fishing, canoeing, boating, swimming marred by the same fear
• every way to overcome this fear failed

17) Determined to finally defeat fear

• engaged an instructor in October to teach swimming
• a rope attached to a belt put around him
• rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable
• supported by the cable; went to and fro in the pool
• practiced for weeks together

18) Relentless practice bore fruit

• persistent fear started fading after three months combined efforts of self and instructor
• learnt exhaling and inhaling while swimming
• for weeks made to kick with his legs
• initially legs were stiff but gradually they relaxed and he could command them
• finally given 'clean chit by the instructor in April
• Douglas able to dive and swim the length of the pool
• instructor relieved

19) Incessant efforts continued

• Douglas again tried swimming while alone in the pool
• all fears shed off
• still continued experiments in Lake Wentworth
• successfully tried crawl, breast stroke, side stroke and back stroke

20) Yet another test to build confidence

• went to Warm Lake
• divided and swam across the lake
• back from the other shore
• experiment conducted successfully
• fear of water conquered

21) A larger meaning drawn from the experience

• death is full of peace
• fear of death terrorizes
• near-death experience and the fear of death intensified Douglas's will to live

QUESTION/ANSWERS

Q1. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?

The misadventure of having a near-drowning experience left an indelible (permanent) mark on Douglas's mind. The phobia of water hampered all his joys of enjoying different water sports like fishing, canoeing, boating and swimming. Douglas did not want to live with this handicap. So, he was determined to overcome it at any cost.

Q2. How did the misadventure at YMCA pool affect Douglas?

Or

How did Douglas feel after being rescued?

On regaining consciousness after being rescued, Douglas found himself lying on his stomach and vomiting. The misadventure left him weak and trembling. He shook and cried when he lay on his bed. He could not eat that night and was haunted by fear for days. The slightest exertion upset him making him wobble in the knees and sick to his stomach. He developed an aversion for water and never went back to the pool. It took him years and persistent efforts and training to overcome the fear.

Additional Questions

Q3. Why did mother warn Douglas against River Yakima?

Mother warned Douglas against River Yakima, as it was treacherous. Very deceptive to look at, this apparently harmless river had claimed several lives. Mother didn't want her eleven year old son to go anywhere near it. So she warned him against the river.

Q4. In what way was the Y.M.C.A. pool safe for those who wished to learn swimming?

Or

What factors made Douglas decide in favour of the YMCA Pool?

The pool at Y.M.C.A. was built with the learners in mind. It was just two or three feet deep at the shallow end and nine feet deep at the other end. The slope was a gradual one, thus the learner learnt swimming without exposing himself to any grave risk.

Q5. What complex did Douglas have when he had to get into the pool? What did he do about it?

Douglas was a skinny child with underdeveloped muscles. He was ashamed to expose his lean and thin legs while walking into the pool. However since he wanted to learn swimming, he had no alternative and he somehow subdued his pride and walked into the pool with naked legs.

Q6. Why did Douglas have an initial aversion for water?

Or

What fear did Douglas develop in his childhood?

At the age of three or four years, Douglas was once knocked down by the waves at California beach. The waves swept over him and he was buried under them. The overpowering force of water terrorized him and he developed an aversion for it.

Q7. What impact did the incident at California beach have on little Douglas?

Douglas was frightened out of his wits and choked by the gushing water at California beach. He fell down with the waves sweeping over him. Thus, he developed a long-lasting aversion for water which resurfaced once again at the Y.M.C.A. Pool.

Q8. Why did Douglas's father take the incident at California beach lightly when the child was buried in water?

The waves knocked down the little Douglas and water swept all over him. This frightened him out of his wit, but the father laughed it out as no grave harm had been done, The father found the sight to be amusing, Thus he took it lightly.

Q9. How did Douglas overcome his childhood aversion to water in Y.M.C.A. Pool?

The Y.M.C.A pool revived unpleasant memories of Douglas childhood. However, determined to learn swimming, he paddle with his new water wings. His keen observation helped him to learn by imitating Soon he gathered confidence and got over his aversion for water.

Q10. Why did Douglas refrain from going into the pool all alone on the fateful day?

On the fateful day when Douglas reached the pool, he found himself all alone there. He observed the stillness of water and the quietitude of the place Feeling too timid to plunge into the water all by himself, he decided to wait for others to come.

Q11. Describe the big bully who plunged Douglas into the pool? Why do you think he threw Douglas into the pool?

The 'big bruiser of a boy' who tossed little Douglas into the pool had a hairy chest and rippling muscles. He was very proud of his impressive physique. This inconsiderate and irresponsible boy foolishly threw Douglas into the pool out of sheer fun and to mock at his underdeveloped muscles.

Q12. What idea do you form about Douglas as a young boy from the misadventure?

Douglas was a thinly built boy of eleven. Adventurous by nature he decided to learn swimming and somehow he got over complex of having skinny legs. He had a commendable presence of mind. Without being intimidated by the misadventure, he tried to manage it as well as he could.

Q13. How did the narrator fight his terror while struggling to come out of water?

On being forcibly pushed into water, Douglas retained his wits. He focused his mind on the solution rather than on the problem. He tried to work out a strategy to save himself and concentrated on it. This helped him not to be defeated by the sensation of terror.

Q14. Describe Douglas's downward journey to the bottom of the pool for the second time.

Douglas's downward journey for the second time was a nightmarish experience. With legs almost paralyzed, aching lungs and throbbing head, Douglas felt suffocated. A relentless pull of the water absolutely terrorized him. Yet he managed to remember to jump with all his might towards the surface of the pool.

Q15. "I jumped with everything I had." Why did Douglas jump? Did the jump make any difference?

Keeping his wits intact, Douglas jumped with all the force at his command expecting to be pushed out to the surface. But to his great disappointment rather than bouncing out speedily, he came up slowly and all his efforts to rescue himself proved to be futile.

Q16. What proves that the narrator found himself in the grip of fear of water even when he grew up?

Being in the grip of fear even on growing up Douglas found himself unable to enjoy canoeing, boating and swimming. Neither the fishing trips nor bathing in Warm Lake afforded him any joy. He continued to be haunted by the same icy horror that he had experienced in Y.M.C.A. pool.

Q17. Why did Douglas decide to engage an instructor? In what did this decision help him?

Or

How did Douglas overcome "the old terror"?

The degree of terror that the Y.M.C.A. misadventure cause was so intense that Douglas couldn't get over it without professional help. He therefore engaged an instructor to do the needful. The decision was a wise one as it helped him conquer his phobia of water completely.

Q18. Describe the method adopted by the instructor to give a sense of security to the terror-stricken Douglas in the pool?

Realising Douglas's mortal fear for water, the instructor devised a novel way of helping him. He attached a rope to the belt worn by Douglas which went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. Holding the end of the rope in his hand, he made Douglas go back and forth in the pool without any acute sense of fear. Next he taught him breathing technique and different swimming styles.

Q19. What made Douglas decide that the instructor's role in teaching him swimming was over?

After an intensive training of more than six months, Douglas was made to put together all that he had mastered piece by piece. The 'integrated whole' gave marvellous results. Thus getting a 'go ahead' from the instructor Douglas felt that his role in teaching him swimming was over.

Q20. How did Douglas still continue with his practice even after the instructor's role was finished?

Or

What does Douglas mean when he says, "The instructor finished, but I was not"?

Having been coached for six months, Douglas was still apprehensive about swimming all alone in the pool. So he practiced for three more months. Douglas then moved to Lake Wentworth; from there he went westwards, where he subjected his swimming to tough test till he felt fully satisfied.

Q21. What made Douglas feel perfectly satisfied about his getting over the fear of water bodies?

Or

When did Douglas feel he had completely conquered his fear of water?

When Douglas began plunging into the pool all by himself and was able to overcome even the slightest traces of fear, he felt satisfied about his getting over his phobia of water bodies.

Q22. What larger meaning did the experience have for Douglas?

Or

What did Douglas learn from his experience of almost drowning?

The almost drowning experience taught Douglas that death itself is not terrifying, instead it is peaceful. It is the fear of death that is torturous. Therefore it is imperative to get over fear and keep it at bay, otherwise man may have to die many deaths before his life actually comes to an end.

Q23. What intensified Douglas's will to live?

Or

How did Douglas's will to live grow in intensity?

Douglas had a unique experience a taste of near death sensation as well as the terror that fear of it can produce afterwards. Both these sensations whetted his urge for survival and intensified his will to live.