Average Waves In Unprotected Waters Summary

Sometimes the hardest things to do are what is best for you. This is evident in Anne Taylor’s short story Average Waves in Unprotected Waters. In the story, Arnold is a boy with mental disabilities who lives with his mother. His father left them when he was born so his mother is left to take care and provide for him by herself. As he gets older it is harder for her to take care of him so even though she loves him very much and it is a hard decision, she is forced to put Arnold in a mental institution. Although Bet has a hard time with the transition, it is what is best for both her and Arnold. In Average Waves in Unprotected Waters Bet has a hard time committing to taking Arnold to the mental institution even though it is very clearly the right thing for both of them. It is clear throughout the story that she loves him passionatly and has a hard time giving him up for someone else to take care of. Throughout the story she makes comments like “maybe he wouldn’t allow it, and they could just go home…” (Taylor) Also, when she meets the nurse who shows her where Arnold will be staying, she continuously tries to tell the nurse everything there is to know about her son even though the nurse tells her she has it under control. Her reacting this way shows that she is not doing this for her enjoyment, she is doing it for her

Early on in the story it is mentioned that Arnold and Bet live in “a rented room in an ancient, crumbling house” (Taylor) implying that they are not living in a house of their own. Also, Avery, Bet’s ex-husband, left the two when Arnold was very young. The appartment that Bet and Avery lived in was too expensive for Bet to pay on her own; implying that Avery was the main breadwinner of the family before leaving. These examples show that Arnold’s move the mental hospital will benefit Bet because she will be left to only need to support herself