So Much Water So Close To Home Analysis

The complex nature of discovery is best explored both in and through a text in order to receive a more sustained understanding of the concept. The two approaches are closely linked and, as a result, complement each other to quite a large extent. James Bradley’s novel Wrack and Raymond Carver’s short story So Much Water So Close to Home (So Much Water) contrast the effects of the process of deliberate discoveries evoked by necessity with sudden physical discoveries on an individual’s relationships. Similarly, through the texts Bradley and Carver explore the influences of traditional reading practice on the readers search for discovery.

The obsessive nature of physical discoveries may hinder our abilities to accept new values and perspectives. Wrack explores the negative ramifications of trying to rediscover something that has been lost as a result of necessity. This is clear in the characterisation of David, who is blinded to the true nature of discovery by his desire for fulfilment. The active pursuit of the ship, evoked by the necessity to stabilise his emotional state, results in an all-consuming need for discovery. This becomes clear in conveying how the loss of Tania, David’s deceased partner, results in an insatiable need to become whole again which David believes can be achieved …show more content…
The connection between the way that the character’s and the readers motives influence their pursuit and reception of discovery in and through the text provides a clearer insight into the nature of discovery. Thus, in Wrack and So Much water so close to home the exploration of discovery both in and through a text is linked to quite a large extent, as the two rely upon each other to convey a more comprehensive understanding of the complexity of