The Invention of Morel

The tides are not only a danger and power source for motors in the story, they are a symbol of the ebb and flow of emotions. The narrator writes of their threat early on, stating that “once a week there are tides that can put an end to everything” (12). At some points, the tides rise high enough during the night that they nearly drown him despite his attempts to record their intervals. He “cannot account for these surprises; they may be due to mistakes in my calculations, or to a temporary change in the schedule of the high tides. If the tides are always subject to such variations, life in this area will be even more precarious” (21). Later he learns from the Bélidor book about the complexity of the tides based on the phases of the moon. The water element represents feelings and relationships. It fits, then, that the images of the people appear at high tide. Not only is that when the tides power the motors for the projections, but it’s also when the narrator develops and acts on his feelings toward Faustine. That this relationship is an illusion is not as important as the impact it has on his feelings. Relatedly, the moon, which creates tides, is often equated with illusions. His emotions for Faustine ebb and flow, too, going from desperate infatuation to hatred for her apparent frivolity to dispassionate curiosity and back to devotion. Tides, like people, can be predictable, but both possess more complexity, capable of surprising even close observers.