Average Waves in Unprotected Waters

The story is told in third-person limited point of view, which means the reader only sees Bet’s perspective. Choose a passage from the story that involves multiple characters and rewrite it in third-person omniscient point of view. How does this change your understanding of the characters? How does this change the themes?

What is the true motivation for Bet’s decision to institutionalize Arnold? Is it an altruistic move, meant to provide Arnold with better care? Is it purely selfish? Use textual evidence to support your argument.

In an interview with The Guardian, Anne Tyler claims that “up close you’ll always see things to be optimistic about” (Freeman, Hadley. “Interview with Anne Tyler.” The Guardian, 11 Apr. 2020). Where does Tyler illuminate optimism in this story? Use textual evidence to support your claims.