Empathy through “At the Gellért Baths”
The short story “At the Gellért Baths” by Esmé Schwall tells of a World War Two survivor’s family and their trip back to Hungary, the survivor’s first time back since the war. The survivor and his wife dwell in the past, stuck in a peaceful time where little fear exists; an outsider does not understand this fear. The author wants readers to empathize with the fear and pain that comes with surviving such tragedy. She achieves this using setting, metaphoric and symbolic language, and point of view; each of these strategies points to a better comprehension of fear for readers. Setting, the time and location in which the story happens, is key in this text. The author emphasizes location as a means of directing …show more content…
These phrases help point to the past tension experienced by a survivor of World War Two and his family. Through these phrases readers should begin to understand Schwall’s purpose of better empathizing with people who have had a painful past. Following the notion of the family going to Hungary, the husband notes, “You’ll picture her in her pink water wings, going into the lake, step followed by step” (Schwall 341). With these envisioned “water wings” as her armor, the survivor’s child treads into dangerous waters: taking her family directly to the source of the anguish and pain that continues to torment them. Readers can begin to understand that even simple things can require an immense amount of bravery. Another evidence of this can be found on page 344: “You’ve helped her learn what she already suspected, that everyone she loves is half tormenter, half ghost.” Clearly, everyone she loves is not literally “half tormenter, half ghost.” His description of the daughter’s realized fear serves as confirmation that she has the mindset of constantly guarding herself. She would not have this fear if her mindset were crafted differently. Every event in her life she approaches with caution; she even takes heed with the people who play significant roles. Schwall uses the few instances of metaphoric and symbolic language to contribute to her overall …show more content…
Schwall writes, “She’ll laugh and shake her head; but you’ve seen the way she too expects disaster, the way she hastens to rigor and achievement, as if perfection alone speeds prayer” (Schwall 341). Point of view in this story finds significance because the story becomes more personal, and thusly better achieves Schwall’s ultimate goal of getting readers further consider empathy. She does not choose to write from the perspective of the survivor’s daughter, who undeniably is the most obvious choice, because she herself experiences and lives with the distress associated with being a survivor’s child. Schwall writes from the son-in-law’s perspective because it is the perspective that to many readers: a scarce number of people know such tragedy and difficulty in their backgrounds. Similarly, readers can easily identify with him because few have experienced that which World War Two survivors
The short story “At the Gellért Baths” by Esmé Schwall tells of a World War Two survivor’s family and their trip back to Hungary, the survivor’s first time back since the war. The survivor and his wife dwell in the past, stuck in a peaceful time where little fear exists; an outsider does not understand this fear. The author wants readers to empathize with the fear and pain that comes with surviving such tragedy. She achieves this using setting, metaphoric and symbolic language, and point of view; each of these strategies points to a better comprehension of fear for readers. Setting, the time and location in which the story happens, is key in this text. The author emphasizes location as a means of directing …show more content…
These phrases help point to the past tension experienced by a survivor of World War Two and his family. Through these phrases readers should begin to understand Schwall’s purpose of better empathizing with people who have had a painful past. Following the notion of the family going to Hungary, the husband notes, “You’ll picture her in her pink water wings, going into the lake, step followed by step” (Schwall 341). With these envisioned “water wings” as her armor, the survivor’s child treads into dangerous waters: taking her family directly to the source of the anguish and pain that continues to torment them. Readers can begin to understand that even simple things can require an immense amount of bravery. Another evidence of this can be found on page 344: “You’ve helped her learn what she already suspected, that everyone she loves is half tormenter, half ghost.” Clearly, everyone she loves is not literally “half tormenter, half ghost.” His description of the daughter’s realized fear serves as confirmation that she has the mindset of constantly guarding herself. She would not have this fear if her mindset were crafted differently. Every event in her life she approaches with caution; she even takes heed with the people who play significant roles. Schwall uses the few instances of metaphoric and symbolic language to contribute to her overall …show more content…
Schwall writes, “She’ll laugh and shake her head; but you’ve seen the way she too expects disaster, the way she hastens to rigor and achievement, as if perfection alone speeds prayer” (Schwall 341). Point of view in this story finds significance because the story becomes more personal, and thusly better achieves Schwall’s ultimate goal of getting readers further consider empathy. She does not choose to write from the perspective of the survivor’s daughter, who undeniably is the most obvious choice, because she herself experiences and lives with the distress associated with being a survivor’s child. Schwall writes from the son-in-law’s perspective because it is the perspective that to many readers: a scarce number of people know such tragedy and difficulty in their backgrounds. Similarly, readers can easily identify with him because few have experienced that which World War Two survivors