CHAPTER: 3

DEEP WATER
THEME
The lesson, “Deep water” is an excerpt from, “Of Men and Mountains” written by William O Doulgas. He
uses his autobiographical part to discuss fear, the terror it creates and the conquest of fear. The story conveys
the message that it is not the terror but the fear of death that creates anxiety in our minds.
Ironically, when he experienced the sensation of death, he felt relaxed and peaceful. There was no more
terror, no panic,but only comfort. He had learnt his valuable lesson that one must only be afraid of fear
once the fear is overcome, it is easy to feel relaxed and continue with life.
ABOUT THE LESSON
1. William O Douglas had an aversion to water and a passion to learn swimming .When he was three or
four years , a huge wave knocked him down and swept over him in the beach of California
2. Douglas suffered from hydrophobia .He joined YMCA pool to remove his old terror.
A amisadventure took place with him while he was sitting alone and waiting for others to come at
YMCA.
3. A bruiser boy came and tossed Douglas into deep end of the pool. The pool was nine feet deep. Nine
feet were more like ninety. His lungs were ready to burst. He planned to make a big jump upwards.
4. But when he hit the bottom he came out slowly and he swallowed water. Stark terror seized him.
5. At last all his efforts ceased and he became unconscious. No doubt he was saved but he started fearing
water. His fear of water deprived him of the joys of canoeing, boating, swimming and fishing.
6. However he wanted to overcome his fear of water.
7. So he hired an instructor to learn swimming .He taught him how to inhale and exhale in water.
8. He practiced five days a week and an hour each day. Thus after a practice of months, Douglas was made
a swimmer piece by piece.
9. At last Douglas went to Wentworth Lake and dived off at Triggs Island. He swam for two miles and he
finally overcame his old terror. Thus he was able to overcome his fear of water. “Will to live is stronger
than fear of death.”
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q1. What is the ‘misadventure’ that William Douglas speaks about?

This unfortunate incident refers to his being ducked into Y.M.C.A. pool by a ‘big bruiser of a boy’ whose
legs and arms showed rippling muscles. He just picked up Douglas and ‘tossed him into deep end of
nine feet swimming pool. Douglas was almost about to collapse in this incident. Before being rescued
Douglas experienced the stark terror of the sensation of dying.
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?
When Douglas was pushed into the pool at the age of 10, he did not lose heart and planned to push himself
up with all his force. He thought once he came to the surface, he would paddle to the edge of the pool.
Unfortunately this strategy did not work and terror gripped him. His lungs were ready to burst out and the
pounding heart with throbbing head made things worse. He became breathless and instead of air, sucked
in water. He saw yellow water all around and was about to collapse till he could feel tender arms around
him.
Q3. How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?
Even after the trainer made an integrated swimmer out of a frightened Douglas, he himself was not sure.
When he swam the length up and down, “tiny vestiges’ of old terror would return. He could ‘frown’ at
them but was not satisfied. He went to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire, dived off a ‘dock at Triggs
Island,” he still’ had ‘residual doubts’. Then he went up to Tieton to Conrad Meadows. He swam across
the Warm Lake just as Doug Corpron used to do. He shouted and Gilbert peak returned the echo. Thus he
conquered his fear.
Q4. How did this experience affect him?
This tragic experience had deep effect on him. He was weak and trembling; he shook and cried lying on
his bed. He couldn’t eat that night, fear haunted him for many days. He started avoiding water whenever
he could. Years later when he went to Cascades this fear dominated him, it actually seized him, took
‘possession of him completely’, ‘grabbed his heart.’ It kept ruining his joy for a long time at Warm Lake
of Goat Rocks, Maine Lake New Hampshire and at Bumping Lake.

Flamingo ( Deep Water) Page 1

 Q5. Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?
Douglas wanted to overcome his fear of water because this fear had become a handicap far him. The
moment he entered water, his limbs would become paralyzed and terror would grab him. This fear ruined
all his fishing trips. He could not do canoeing, boating and swimming. So in order to enjoy his life
completely, he decided to overcome his fear.
Q6. How did the instructor turn Douglas into a swimmer?
The instructor adopted a systematic method to turn Douglas into a swimmer. He first made him shed off
his initial fear of water by making his cross a pool suspended by a rope attached to a pulley. Then he
taught Douglas to breathe while swimming, and finally the leg movement and other strokes.

Q7. How did Douglas get rescued when he was thrown in the pool?
The narrator does not mention this, when he regained consciousness, he was vomiting while lying on his
stomach beside the pool. Apparently, he had been rescued by someone.

Q8. What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down in the water with a yellow glow? How could
he feel that he was still alive?
When Douglas went down in the water with a yellow glow for the second time, a sheer, stark terror
seized him. It was beyond control or understanding. Douglas was paralysed with fear and could not
move his limbs. Only his throbbing heart and the pounding in his head made him feel that he was still
alive.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q1. How did Douglas develop an aversion to water?

Douglas had, aversion of water even in his early childhood. When he was three or four years old, his father
took him to a beach in California. He stood with his father in the surf. In fact he hung to his father’s hand.
The waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried under water. He was frightened but his
father was laughing. He felt terror in his heart at the overpowering force of the water. Perhaps this was
the moment his fear of water took a root inside his mind. However, when Douglas was ten or eleven years
old he decided to learn swimming. For this he joined YMCA pool.
Here again an incident took place that finally established his aversion of water as a big tree. One day when
he went to the pool, there was no one present there. Out of fear, he decided not to enter the pool all on his
own. So he sat on the edge of the pool and waited for others to come. Then came a big boy of about 18
years. He, just wanted to have some fun. He threw Douglas into the pool. What followed was a nightmarish
experience for him. Douglas tried very hard, applied all his knowledge to come to the surface of water but
to no avail. In fact, he almost experienced death. But he was saved. However, after this fateful incident
his fear of water got implanted in his heart and mind permanently
Q2. How did the swimming instructor ‘build a swimmer’ out of Douglas?
After the terrifying childhood experience and an encounter with death when he was tossed into a nine
feet deep swimming pool, Douglas was determined to get over his fear of water. Douglas engaged a
professional instructor who understood Douglas’s problem and the degree of terror that firmly held him.
So, rather than teaching him swimming in one instance, the instructor built a swimmer out of him ‘bit
by bit’.
The instructor put a belt around his waist and attached it securely to a pulley that ran on an overhead
cable. For at least three months he went back and forth in the pool. However, each time the instructor
relaxed his hold on the rope, the old terror returned. In course of time, Douglas began to relax. Next, the
instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale, and to raise his nose and inhale. Later
for weeks together he was made to kick with his legs at the side of the pool. Thus, the instructor built a
swimmer minute by minute, hour by hour.
UNSOLVED QUESTIONS FOR PRACTICE
1. Why does Douglas, as an adult, recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering of it?
What large meaning does he draw from his experience?
2. Douglas describes a childhood experience of terror and his conquering of the terror .What message
does he want to convey to the readers ?
3. What did Douglas feel and do when he was pushed into the swimming pool?
4. Which two incidents in Douglas’ early life made him scared of water?
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