So Much Water So Close to Home

Content Warning: This section of the guide references the graphic murders of women and features ambiguously consensual sex as well as general misogyny.

This theme operates on several levels. The location of the woman’s body is remote, as no signs of other people are present. In a literal sense, the body has been hidden away; in a metaphorical sense, it is removed from society and connection to other people, evidence of the murderer’s disregard for the victim’s life and humanity. Similarly, Stuart and his pals seek out a remote and unpeopled area for their fishing and fun, despite the fact, as Claire points out, opportunities exist much closer to their home. She challenges, “Why do you have to go miles away? (83). The answer is that the men desire to act out a brutish masculinity of drinking and carousing removed from the confines of social norms. The story thus establishes a gendered difference in isolation, which represents vulnerability for women precisely because it affords men the opportunity to behave in ways that make women vulnerable.

These physical isolations parallel the emotional separation between Claire and Stuart. Stuart is unconcerned with the plight of the dead woman and unwilling to listen to Claire, frequently shutting down her attempts at conversation by insisting she is “getting [him] more riled by the minute” (84).