In Amy Bloom’s Silver Water, it is Rose’s mental illness that works as a combining factor for the entire family. It holds the family together as a unit and allows them to become closer to each other. By helping Rose, they also help each other as they become stronger as a family unit. For the sister Violet, this experience is particularly moving because despite all the illness, she knows that there hides a beautiful sister behind that veil.
The father, David, however faces a much tougher time dealing with the illness even though he is a psychiatrist. This shows that when it comes to important relationships, people might not be able to stay as objective as they do with strangers. In this story, we see beautiful strength of relationships that helps one family stay together and also get out of their individual issues. Throughout the story, we see Violet and Galen maintaining, healthy relationship with Rose. They are concerned about her well being and are more capable of dealing with it than David.
David is a good father but he finds it difficult to connect with his daughter even though he wants to. He admires the way his other daughter and his wife can show their affection for the ill child. But even though he is the “kind, sad man” (88), he is described as a highly rational person who cannot handle too much emotional tangle. This may actually be a jab at psychiatry where they think that medicines and therapy is the only cure but forget about the all important human touch. It is the human touch that makes the world stay connected as we see in the story. Rose is not given much strength by her father who is way too rational and unemotional.
He loves her but his inability to express affection leaves him I an odd position. On the other hand, his wife Galen and daughter Violet believe in loving the daughter irrespective of her mental state. Thus they are a better pillar of strength for Rose than David. He is a good organizer and attends all sessions with Rose but he sees things scientifically and is missing the point: “My father said, quietly, ‘It’s very hard. We’re doing all right, I think … We’re not doing all that well, actually, but I guess we’re getting by” (94).
Galen is one of the most important figures in the story. She understands her daughter’s needs and since she is capable of doing something, she holds a more pivotal place than Violet. Violet loves her sister but doesn’t know how to help her out. Galen on the other hand is old enough to know that and she provides all the support that Rose could need. Since she is the mother, she knows what her daughters require and she was the first one to notice that there was something wrong with Rose. After an emotionally taxing night, Violet acknowledges the role of her mother as she says: “We cleared without talking, my mother humming Schubert’s ‘Schlummerlied,’… She sang it to us every night when we were small” (97). Galen’s motherly actions help in strengthening the bond that holds the family together.
Violet is the narrator of the story. We see things from her eyes and thus she has a significant role to play. Though she is not as strong or capable as Galen, her love is enough to give Rose and their family the support in needs in tough times. “I wanted them to know her, to know that who they saw was not all there was to see” (87), Violet desperately wants others to love Rose for who she really is and not see her as a mentally ill person. She knows her sister and wants the world to see her that way.
But the problem is that her mental ill has put a veil on her and she is not longer Rose to anyone. She is only a mentally ill person. Violet understands her sister’s feelings and wants outsiders to be more considerate to her and not talk about her as if she is not there. “’I don’t know. Maybe she’s trying to get you to stop talking about her in the third person’” (90), Violet reveals her sisterly love and her ability to connect with her sick sister.
The entire family puts their lives on hold as they help out Rose. When things get a little normal, she returns to college and finds a man to love but that doesn’t interfere with her ability to look after her sister.
Mental illness and its many aspects are the central topic of the story. The author makes it clear that mental illness cannot be cured in isolation. People have to work together in order to provide genuine care to the patient. The most important thing is love and as long as people love each other, there is very little that they cannot overcome. In this story too, it is with love and perseverance that the family is able to stay together despite their serious problems. Galen is proud of her daughters.
She can see that females in the family and in fact in any crisis are much stronger than males: “’Warrior queens,’ she said, wrapping her thin strong arms around me. ‘I raised warrior queens.” She kissed me fiercely and went into the woods by herself” (98).
Amy Bloom’s Silver Water is an emotional story of sacred love. Though it ends with Rose’s end, it also indicates the end of all problems for the family. The journey was tough for the family but through it, they managed to live a positive life. At the end, the author writes: “That sweet sound held us tight, flowing around us, eddying through our hearts, rising, still rising” (98)- Thus highlighting the positive tone of the story.
Reference
Bloom, Amy. “Silver Water.” Come to Me: Stories. London: HarperPerennial, 1994. 192.