The artistic patterning of life’s experiences is a theme that arises out of the
self-consciousness of the narrator in “Swimming Lessons.” He wants to know what “the
equation” is as he contemplates whether he will experience a “watery rebirth.” As it turns
out, his focus on water as the source of regeneration has been a false hope. Just as the
water in Bombay was a compromised symbol because of the filth in it, so the pool of his
swimming lessons fails as a symbol, presumably because he brought “impure”
expectations to it. What finally works toward his rebirth in his new country is simply the
passing of time. He is new to the phenomenon of the seasons, and pays close attention
to it as the story develops. By the end of his narrative, when the old man has died, he
has begun to perceive a sense of the ongoing larger natural rhythms created by the
cycle of the seasons in Canada.
The images of two old men, one in Canada and the other the memory of his grandfather
in Bombay, are also important in the story. The story opens and closes with the old man
and its most significant event is his death. A counterpoint between the ongoing cycle of
the seasons and the limited linear time of human life is made clear by that death. And
the narrator’s mother emphasizes this important symbol when she says grandfather’s
spirit blessing him is her favorite part of his story.
An important one in “Swimming Lessons” turns out to be the yearly change of the
seasons. For writers from temperate climates, this has been a time-honored trope.
James Joyce, for example, used winter to stand for dead-ness of the soul in “The Dead,”
the final story of his Dubliners sequence. But to the immigrant Kersi (and in the hands of
his immigrant creator Mistry), the symbol seems fresh and new. That the seasons
anchor the story can be readily seen by noting how the first sentences of so many
paragraphs remark on them. Kersi recalls that he read about snow and winter in British
adventure books when he was a boy in Bombay (a tropical city on a parallel latitude to
Jamaica). But in Toronto he experiences the real thing.
In Rohinton Mistry’s poignant short story “Swimming Lessons,” the narrator’s journey
toward self-discovery and maturity culminates in a series of significant realizations and
events. As the story unfolds, we witness the narrator’s gradual transformation, marked
by the following key moments:
1. The Equation of Life: The narrator grapples with the concept of life’s equation. He
contemplates whether he will experience a “watery rebirth” and seeks to
understand the intricate balance between joy and sorrow, love and loss. This
introspection represents the first step toward his coming of age.
2. The Double Vision: The narrative structure shifts when the typeface becomes
italic, transporting us to Bombay. Here, the narrator’s parents discuss their son’s
life in Toronto and the manuscript of stories he has written since immigrating to
Canada. This dual perspective—seeing himself as he displays himself and as his
parents perceive him from afar—forces the narrator to confront his identity and
the expectations placed upon him.
3. Intimacy and Embarrassment: The narrator’s self-revelation is intimate and raw.
He shares sexual fantasies and private scenes from his life, exposing
vulnerabilities. Simultaneously, his parents’ discussions about him verge on
embarrassment, akin to parents gossiping about their absent child. This collision
of personal revelations and parental scrutiny underscores the narrator’s
transition from youth to adulthood.
4. The Manuscript’s Arrival: When the manuscript of his stories arrives in the mail, it
becomes a metaphorical threshold. It represents not only his creative expression
but also the culmination of his experiences, memories, and emotions. The act of
sharing his work with the world signifies his readiness to embrace adulthood and
take ownership of his narrative.
5. The Unseen Reckoning: The story leaves us with an open ending. The narrator’s
parents discuss him, unaware that he is listening from afar. Their words—both
affirming and critical—linger in the air, hinting at an unseen reckoning. This
moment encapsulates the narrator’s realization that he is no longer a passive
observer; he must actively shape his destiny.
In the quietude of these realizations, the narrator emerges from the depths of
uncertainty, like a swimmer breaking the water’s surface. His coming of age is not a
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single event but a gradual immersion into self-awareness, fueled by introspection,
vulnerability, and the acceptance of life’s complexities.