In the short story “The Man Who Jumped into The Water” one mode of criticism stands out above the rest. This mode of criticism is Psychoanalytic criticism. Analyzing the story from this mode helps the reader reveal the character’s flaws and weaknesses and how they affect the outcome of the story. Understanding these flaws and weaknesses allows the reader to grasp a better understanding of why the story comes to an end in the way that it does. For example, in “The Man Who Jumped into The Water” we understand that Charlie’s flaws lead up to his eventual death and why they do so. Laurie Colwin’s short story suggest that since internal conflicts are not seen by others they can lead to exaggerated results such as suicide because of the lack of support
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He liked to dive and had some skill in doing so. He looked quite ordinary and blended in well with every other man wearing a suit. He was very friendly to others and got to know them well. He always seemed to know everyone around him yet not many people actually knew him. He battled with internal conflicts which eventually lead to him committing suicide. However, no one really knows what caused this. Two conventional symbols help us understand Charlies situation better. One of these symbols is Money. We know that he is wealthy and does not have to struggle to provide for himself or his family. We also learn through his suicide that money does not always equal happiness Charlie seemed throughout the story to be very happy with his life. However, at the end of the story we realize that all of these nice things Charlie owns and all the money he had did not contribute to his happiness. Another symbol that we can look at is the home. Charlies home represents social statues, wealth, family, and responsibility. The home plays a big role in understanding how everything seems to be going in the right direction for Charlie. You could even argue that he was living the American Dream and that everything was going in the right direction for
He liked to dive and had some skill in doing so. He looked quite ordinary and blended in well with every other man wearing a suit. He was very friendly to others and got to know them well. He always seemed to know everyone around him yet not many people actually knew him. He battled with internal conflicts which eventually lead to him committing suicide. However, no one really knows what caused this. Two conventional symbols help us understand Charlies situation better. One of these symbols is Money. We know that he is wealthy and does not have to struggle to provide for himself or his family. We also learn through his suicide that money does not always equal happiness Charlie seemed throughout the story to be very happy with his life. However, at the end of the story we realize that all of these nice things Charlie owns and all the money he had did not contribute to his happiness. Another symbol that we can look at is the home. Charlies home represents social statues, wealth, family, and responsibility. The home plays a big role in understanding how everything seems to be going in the right direction for Charlie. You could even argue that he was living the American Dream and that everything was going in the right direction for