Silver Water (Themes)

Themes

Illness

The theme of illness — specifically mental illness — and how that affects everyone it touches is one of the most important themes in “Silver Water.” After Rose’s first schizophrenic breakdown at the age of fifteen, the illness virtually controls her life, and as the narration makes clear, it also takes over the lives of her family. The illness is seen as a family problem. Not only does the entire family participate in group counseling to help Rose, but the mother and father try to help Rose’s fellow patients, as if saving others similarly afflicted will save their daughter. David, a psychiatrist, donates time to work in the hospitals and clinic that currently treat Rose, while Galen, a musician, offers salvation and peace through the only method she knows: through her music.

David and Galen, however, try to minimize Violet’s involvement; they want her to be free to lead a normal life. Thus, after Dr. Thorne’s death, when Rose is to spend a month and a half at home, David and Galen discourage Violet from returning home too often; her weekly Sunday visits will be enough, they say. Galen, in particular, does not want to confess to Violet just how difficult these weeks with Rose have been. Throughout the story and up through Rose’s final stay at home, Violet’s contribution to Rose’s illness and attempted recoveries is not immediately clear, yet at the end, she provides Rose with the greatest gift of all: release from her pain.

Death

Rose’s death, the event upon which the story turns, is crucial in “Silver Water.” Only in death can Rose escape the terrible effects of her illness. As she tells her family the night before her suicide, she does not want to do the things she does, such as shoving her mother into the refrigerator, but she simply cannot control herself.

Violet tacitly approves of Rose’s suicide, and even sits besides her sister as Rose dies, as revealed by the words she uses: “T sat with her, uncovering the bottle of white pills by her hand, and watched the stars fade.” It is not revealed whether Violet makes no attempt to save her sister more for her sister’s sake or for her family’s sake. She strongly wants to think that Rose has a very real cognizance of and culpability for her actions; ‘“Closing time,’ she [Rose] whispered. I believe that’s what she said.” The story, however, seems to say that Violet’s actions stem from a combination of reasoning: Rose is in pain and unhappy, and the family is in pain and unhappy. Crucially, Violet’s parents do not fault her for her role in Rose’s death. Her mother even evidences approval in her labeling of both of her daughters as “warrior queens.” The story’s final image is at Rose’s funeral, yet instead of being a depressing scene, Violet concentrates on the positive. The story ends on the uplifting word “rising.”

Family

One point that the story raises is the affect one member of a family has on the rest of the family. Rose’s illness does not only hurt her: it hurts her mother, father, and sister. The members of this family are so inextricably intertwined. They work together to try and save Rose, and when that is no longer possible, some of them work together to help her leave the world.

Despite their closeness, each member of the family has a specific role and chooses what he or she will reveal to others. David is the one who tells Violet the truth about how difficult life is with Rose at home, while Galen wants to hide it from her younger daughter. Violet tells only the second lie of her life to her father when she does not tell him that Rose pushed Galen into the refrigerator. Violet also reveals that she has lived her life under the belief that Rose was always her mother’s “favorite,” to which she does not admit until the very end of the story, after she has already clearly demonstrated her love for her sister.

The story further affirms that people outside the family boundaries can cross over and truly become as close as family members. Thus, Rose’s final breakdown is predicated by the death of her beloved therapist. Also significant to this point is the inclusion of Addie, Rose’s choir friend, in the story’s final paragraph. This elevates Addie’s status more to a family member than a friend.

Topics for Further Study

• Do you think that Violet’s actions at the end of the story are justified? Why or why not?
• Find out more about schizophrenia, such as who it affects, when its onset begins, how it is treated, and how treatable it is. Then write up a few paragraphs summarizing your findings.
• Violet says that Rose enjoys art therapy, and Galen often plays piano for the patients hospitalized along with Rose. How do you think these therapies would work on people with mental and emotional disorders? Conduct research to answer the question.
• Violet believes that Rose is her mother’s “favorite” ? Do you find evidence of her statement in the story? Explain your answer.
• What is your reaction to the family therapy session with Walker? Explain your answer.
• Do you know or have you read about somebody with problems similar to Rose’s? How is this person like Rose? How is this person different from Rose?