Character Transformation In Girl Underwater By Claire Kells

Omori Kiely

Miss Given and Miss Wesley

Academic English 9, 7

9 February 2023

How Claire Kells Shows Change Through Characterization Claire Kells follows a college swimmer named Avery through her traumatic experiences while finding emnracement in the realistic fiction book, Girl Underwater. Avery is going home to visit family. While on the plane, in a dramatic turn of events, it crashes into a lake in the Rocky mountains. Avery, along with a fellow swimmer from her school, Colin, in which whom has conflict with her, manage to escape, saving 3 little boys and an unconscious pregnant lady. They manage to spot a cabin across the lake in which the only person able to swim is Avery. She eventually faces her fear of swimming and saves everyone from

For instance, Colin had just been attacked, leaving him unable to swim the lake to get to the cabin that potentially contains survival supplies. In this moment of despair, Avery thought about How Colin could have made the swim before the injury, and now that “No one will [can] because I [she] simply can’t swim that far in these [the] conditions” (Kells 170) that they are in. And when Avery first discovers the cabin, she does the calculations and comes to the conclusion that “the swim would kill me [her]” (Kells 86). These thoughts express Averys reassurance that she can’t, and never will make that swim to the cabin even though she’s a distance swimmer. Knowing the fact of being a distance swimmer, the thoughts support the fact that Avery, at the beginning of her journey, isn’t accepting of herself. However, Avery walks to the edge of the water with the thought of swimming to the cabin rattling through her head. “I [she] have [has] to do this. For the families we [they] left behind, for the one I [she] found out here [there]” (Kells 263). Avery’s thought shows how she is now determined to swim, how she will do it not just for herself, but for 3 little boys and the man she once avoided so she can save them. The though not only supports the idea of Avery and Colins relationship transforming, but also supports the

Avery, being more harsh on the approval of her own self, starts to finally embrace herself and be content with the fact that this is who she is with the assistance of others. In the beginning, Avery is so harsh towards herself, that her family noticed at one point. She’s talking about why she hates the word “concerned” after her parents had used the word telling her they’re concerned fro her, and is listing off scenarios of when her parents have used that word in referring to her. One of the things she lists in her head, repeating what her parents once said, is, “I’m concerned about Avery’s low self-esteem” (Kells 76). The thought proves a point that Avery was so disproving of herself, that her parents had to confront someone about it. In her head, She doesn’t deny this statement either. She just lets it be. After this thought, her father tells her that she is appointed to see a doctor, who which will supposedly help. Avery is in denial and insists that she does not have PTSD. She skips the doctors appointment and tries to avoid as much help as possible. After every attempt to live a “normal” life, she eventually cannot run anymore. Her father aids her to get a therapist who specializes in PTSD. This is one example of something that someone does to lead Avery into Acceptance. The big things guide her, like Dr. Shin assigning Avery with tasks to try to help her trauma. Even the