"So maybe on some level tossing characters into the river is (a) wish fulfillment, (b) exorcism of primal fear, (c) exploration of the possible, and not just (d) a handy solution to messy plot difficulties"
- In this chapter "If She Comes Up, Its Baptism", Foster discusses the role that water mainly people struggling in water, and the role it will play or not play in a novel. Foster discusses multiple aspects of the situation and discusses the meanings of most of them. The aspects he looks at are, does he drown and die or does he come to his feet, does someone rescue him. These things all are symbolic for something. Foster then discusses the idea the a character being submerged into the water is like Baptism. He says that the pattern he sees is that when a character is close to drowning but survives, the reader will typically see a change in character. Rebirth. This could mean that the character had things he need to change about himself, and by having a near death experience it opened his eyes and changed his overall as a person. Foster also says that just because a character goes under the water doesn't necessarily mean that he or she has been baptized and will now be a new person. Throughout this chapter, i have come to realize the importance of stepping back and not just seeing the situation but taking my prior knowledge and gaining new thoughts by drawing parallels and reading for information that i have already some background on.
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