About the author:
William O. Douglas (1898–1980) was an American jurist who served as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court for 36 years, the longest in its history. Besides his legal career, he was also a keen lover of nature and adventure. In his memoir Of Men and Mountains, he narrates his struggle with fear of water in the essay Deep Water, emphasizing the values of courage, perseverance, and self-confidence.
Summary-
The narrator narrates an incident that happened when he was around ten or eleven years old. He was learning to swim at the YMCA pool as it was much safer than the treacherous Yakima river.
He disliked going into the water. His aversion to water started when he was three or four years old. His father took him to the beach and the waves swept over him. He was frightened. Since then, he has been afraid of the waves. Still, he tried to remain confident and tried to learn by mimicking other boys. But a misadventure happened when he was getting easy.
He went to the pool when no one else was there but waited for others as he was shy. An older, muscular boy came in and tried to bully him and called him skinny. The boy picked him up and tossed him where the water was nine feet deep. While underwater, in a sitting position, he did not panic and planned to get to the top.
With all his strength, he tried to jump upwards but came up slowly. He was panicking and suffocating. He failed to yell and was feeling paralysed. He was again moving back to the bottom but remembered his previous strategy. He was seeing nothing but water. Then seized by terror, his screams frozen underwater, he prepared to jump. It had little effect. He tried calling his mother but nothing happened. Then he saw light. He almost came out but went down again. He stopped all effort and relaxed. He wasn’t afraid anymore.
The next thing he remembered was lying on his stomach and vomiting. The people helped and he walked home weak and trembling. He was shaken by the incident and fell ill. That’s how he started avoiding water and felt terrorized when he was in it. His fear ruined his fishing trips and he couldn’t enjoy canoeing, boating and swimming.
To overcome his fear, he got a swim instructor and practiced regularly. Only after three months he stopped freeing when the instructor loosened the safety rope. He did a breathing exercise and a leg exercise. The instructor turned him into a swimmer and asked him to take a dive by himself. He did it but was unsure about doing it all alone. Challenging his terror, he tried swimming in new waters. It only returned once but he faced it and continued to swim. After swimming in the Warm Lake, he shouted with joy and conquered his fear of water. It was deeply meaningful experience to him. He quotes Roosevelt and says that death is peace, it is only the fear that terrorizes. He was released from his fear and was free.
Difficult Word-Meanings:
- YMCA- Young Men’s Christian Association (a social program that provides a place for athletic activities).
- Treacherous- disloyal and deceptive.
- Aversion- a strong dislike of something.
- Timid- afraid and showing a lack of courage.
- Big bruiser of a boy- a large and physically powerful boy.
- Rippling- forming small waves on the surface.
- A cork- used to close the top of a bottle.
- Tinge- a slight amount of color.
- Flailed- moving one’s arms and legs in an uncontrolled way.
- Expending- spending or using energy
- Dizzy- a sensation of feeling lightheaded and off-balance.
- Limp- walking with difficulty.
- Drowsy- feeling sleepy.
- Oblivion- a condition of not remembering.
- Wobbly- moving unsteadily from side to side.
- Wading- walking with effort through water.
- Canoes- small and light boat pointed at both ends, propelled with a paddle.
- Salmon- a large fish with pink flesh.
- Trout- a freshwater fish.
- Vestiges- a trace of something that is disappearing.
- Crawl, breast stroke, side stroke, and back stroke- types of swimming styles.
- Miniature- a thing smaller than normal.
- Trails- marks or signs of objects left behind by someone or something.
Themes-
- Courage- Courage in Deep Water is shown as the power to confront fear instead of surrendering to it. Douglas proves that true bravery lies in persistence—fighting back despite repeated failures. His journey shows that courage is not sudden heroism but steady determination, transforming weakness into strength and fear into confidence through patience, effort, and resilience.
- Determination and Perseverance- The chapter reflects how determination and perseverance can conquer even the strongest fears. Douglas refuses to give up despite terrifying experiences in water. Through continuous practice and unwavering resolve, he gradually masters swimming. His story shows that success comes not from instant achievement but from persistent effort, steady progress, and the will to rise after every setback.
- Fear- Fear is the central obstacle in Douglas’s life, shaping his childhood and haunting his youth. It nearly paralyzes him in the water, showing how destructive and limiting fear can be. Yet, the chapter also reveals that fear is not permanent—once confronted with courage and determination, it can be defeated, turning into strength and confidence.
Hey there students! Here’s a CBSE Previous Year Question for you:
Q.- How did William Douglas’s fear of water start?
Write you answers in the comment section in 30-40 words and I’ll be sure to answer each of them.
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