We Live In Water Summary

The short story, “We Live in Water” by Jess Walter, describes a man named Michael in search for his father and the other describes the events leading up to a homicide. The prominent themes in this short story are “Determinism” which is what is determined and not chosen for the characters, “Free Will” of the character’s conflict between morally right or the wants or needs of the character, and “Karma” with the actions of the characters. “Determinism”, “Free Will”, and “Karma” all manifest in this short story within the characters Michael and Oren but “Determinism” is the predominate theme in the story. In the story, “We Live in Water”, both Michael and Oren, Michael’s Father, manifests “Determinism” which “…is the belief that all apparent acts …show more content…
on the other hand”(Thoma 9). Oren experienced a conflict when he had to choose to do the morally right thing which was going to save his son from Bannen or staying hidden and escaping “Oren came to a stop, panting. Goddamn it! He looked back over his shoulder. He'd brought Michael to Flett's house earlier in the day, that was one thing. But bringing a six-year-old to Two Bridges—what was he thinking? He wasn't, that's what… He wasn't going back because it was the smart play. He was going back because of the boy” (Walter 30-31). Oren’s son, Michael, when he was living with his father kept asking him “Do we live in water?”(Walter 20), at the end of the story Oren finally knew what he meant and told his son “"We ain't like fish, Michael," Oren said. "You can do whatever you want."”(Walter 39) meaning he can do whatever he wanted and he was not trapped like fish in a tank. Oren was conflicted but chose to do the morally right thing even though he did not have to because Flett took Michael to his