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buy custom Water and Freedom essay Though many themes are developed in Marilynne Robinsons Housekeeping, the one that deserves particular attention is freedom. The plot of the novel is rather depressive as it shows how parental factor, in particular the lack of their love and attention, can strongly impact children. The reader finds the narrators of the story, Ruth and Sylvie, deeply suffering from abandonment and loneliness due to the lack of mothers help and support. This traumatic feeling is even strengthened with the development of events. This paper will analyze how the development of Ruths personality is interconnected with the theme of water by contrasting the household duties to Sylvies character, flood, and other water-related events. One of the main examples of how the lake relates to freedom can be observed from Sylvie's attachment to it. Since Sylvias life and character was much different from all the other inhabitants of Fingerbore, she is distant from the usual steady life in the village. Her emotional trauma is one of the leading causes of such state of affairs. For instance, one can see how the lake theme, and mainly the disastrous flood, is associated with the aim to isolate Sylvie from the community and household. In such a way, the moral aspect of distance is strengthened by the physical one. In her story, Ruth emphasized that her grandmother often told that, The floods never reached the house (Robinson, 2004, p.59). However, Sylvie's arrival was marked by the raise of water that was absolutely uncommon for the village. In such a way, even the arrival itself was an extraordinary event, which gave water more freedom to reach even the most distant parts. Sylvies character, which is closely connected with the changes of the lake and limiting personal freedom, also has a considerable impact on the other heroes of the novel. For instance, Ruth and Lucilles devotion to one another undergoes serious changes. From close and warm relations, Ruth has felt that Lucille's loyalties were with the other world (Robinson, 2004, p.93). Again, the negatively changed values and strange world is depicted distant from the existing one and is characterized by means of water and boat that was sinking far away from a not-too-distant shore, which, actually, is the community (Robinson, 2004, p.89). This metaphor can be considered as an effective device to define water as personal freedoms and the sores as the society and community which can limit it. Ruth searched for freedom and wanted Sylvie to teach her to walk under water (Robinson, 2004, p.173). As trauma and social rules are associated with depression and pain, water in the lake and diving into it is symbolic for becoming free and satisfied. Paying attention to how Ruth descried the water and trains getting there without even troubling a surface or bridge being a chute into the lake, one should perceive water as the only correct direction that can bring satisfaction and set free (Robinson, 2004, p.173). Such freedom is also associated with rebirth. Ruthies world was obviously undergoing serious changes. If she had been born long time ago, her spiritual world would have been changed under Sylvies influence. What is important, only this final birth associated with water, lake depth and its darkness should become the main way to free from trauma and discomfort she felt in the real world. In conclusion, the water and lake represented in the novel are closely associated with the moral freedom of the young heroine Ruth. Moreover, the character of Sylvie, which is closely associated with lake as well as Ruths reflections and dreams about water, show how the latter symbolizes freedom and liberalization. Among the other themes, Robinson showed how water can be associated with liberalization of mind and serious changes that happen in ones conscience that can set free various thoughts and feelings. Buy custom Water and Freedom essay