Whirlpool And Sea Monster Character Analysis

Singular Defining Moments in “Whirlpools and Sea Monsters” A person’s identity generally comes from a variety of personal experiences and incidents; however, some people choose to allow a single moment from their past define themselves. This idea of a singular defining moment in a person’s life is expressed in the chapter “Whirlpools and Sea Monsters” from Keith Lee Morris’s book The Dart League King. It is specifically communicated through the narrator’s recollection of a high school party he attended as a child, as well as its blatant effects on his current character. Furthermore, the narrator’s, Brice Habersham’s, particular situation suggests that if a person specifies a particular event to define their character, they drastically reduce any potential growth outside of that limited definition. Brice began his recollections as an awkward teenager who routinely …show more content…
Unknown to his classmates however, he was not partial to this modern music, and states he “would have preferred listening to his father’s Beethoven records” (Morris 171). Immediately he recognizes a façade he put on in order to be more socially accepted in high school. He continues from this brief introduction to a description of his past love interest Ellen, who hosted a party he attended. Brice continues through this story of the party, where he briefly becomes socially aware and somewhat popular due to some alcohol he consumed and some music he played. The fact that he is beginning to become socially active shows an evolution in Brice’s character that he would have been incapable of without allowing himself to lower his guard. He then proceeds to lower it too far however, and is found smelling Ellen’s undergarments in her bathroom. He allows his embarrassment in this single moment to influence the