In “Average Waves in Unprotected Waters” by Anne Tyler, the two main settings, Bet’s apartment and the hospital, while different in atmosphere, have surprisingly similar effects. These two settings both represent the inadequacy Bet feels, like all parents, about making decisions for their children. Bet’s apartment is where this story first starts. However, this apartment is not truly a home and does not provide Arnold, her autistic son, and her with the warmth, comfort, and support that is necessary. Bet must do her dishes in the bathroom sink, as there is no real kitchen, and most of the house is decaying, as shown by the “yellowed shade” and “layers of brownish wallpaper her child had peeled away.” In reality, this “ancient, crumbling house”
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In the admitting office, the two are greeted by “chilly, hanging ice-cube-tray lights”, the first sign that the hospital is not a warm and cozy place, but rather one of solitude and confinement. A “flat fronted” nurse, who embodies the lack of nurture the hospital will bring, greets them and takes them to where Arnold will be staying. As they are being escorted down, they encounter large marble stairs, another sign of the coldness and unfriendliness the hospital will bring. Even the nurses themselves display the dreary environment of the hospital, wearing “shapeless gray dresses”. When they finally reach Arnold’s room, the only sign of child-friendliness is a small cardboard picture of a clown. The “steely-gray” blanket on Arnold’s cot is like the nurses, dreary and cold, while the “too neatly” made up bed just adds to the sterile environment. These details do not give the reader hope that the situation will be rectified if he stays there. Bet knows this too, as she tries to board a train home as quickly as she can so she does not have to ponder her decision. The cold environment the hospital brings will not resolve Arnold’s problems; it might even make them worse, for he would still have the comfort of being with family if Bet had decided to keep him. At this point, Bet must choose between the lesser of two evils, as both of her options have negative
In the admitting office, the two are greeted by “chilly, hanging ice-cube-tray lights”, the first sign that the hospital is not a warm and cozy place, but rather one of solitude and confinement. A “flat fronted” nurse, who embodies the lack of nurture the hospital will bring, greets them and takes them to where Arnold will be staying. As they are being escorted down, they encounter large marble stairs, another sign of the coldness and unfriendliness the hospital will bring. Even the nurses themselves display the dreary environment of the hospital, wearing “shapeless gray dresses”. When they finally reach Arnold’s room, the only sign of child-friendliness is a small cardboard picture of a clown. The “steely-gray” blanket on Arnold’s cot is like the nurses, dreary and cold, while the “too neatly” made up bed just adds to the sterile environment. These details do not give the reader hope that the situation will be rectified if he stays there. Bet knows this too, as she tries to board a train home as quickly as she can so she does not have to ponder her decision. The cold environment the hospital brings will not resolve Arnold’s problems; it might even make them worse, for he would still have the comfort of being with family if Bet had decided to keep him. At this point, Bet must choose between the lesser of two evils, as both of her options have negative