Motivation In Kari Strutts 'Touching Bottom'

The nature of motivation that stems from love is powerful and effective. Whether it is romantic, platonic, or self love, it can be a very potent motivator. In Kari Strutts “Touching Bottom”, the characters are motivated by different types of love. For example, the narrator 's father. He was incredibly supportive of her swimming career, dedicating hours of his time to getting her where she needed to be. Swim practices, meets, and competitions, her father never complained about the intense schedule. He served as a pillar of guidance and support for the narrator as a child, never failing to provide the things she needed. A mother figure was never mentioned by the narrator, so it can be assumed he did all of this alone. The level of dedication and

Motivation is always spurred by a form of determination. Determination is a firmness of purpose, when working towards a goal individuals are motivated by that purpose. The narrator in “Touching Bottom” swam competitively for years. She was enrolled in Red Cross swimming lessons at an early age, and joined a swim club after that. Her training was vigorous, practicing every day and eventually twice a day. That kind of training would have been challenging and exhausting. Like most athletes, she needed lots of determination to maintain her sense of motivation. It would have been easy for her to quit, to become overwhelmed by the pressure. The narrator never gave up, it was the determination inside her which kept her going. It was that determination which motivated her to chase her goal of success, and eventually saved her life. It was years later; after her swimming career ended, after she had moved to California and gotten married. The narrator, her husband, and his son Ian had taken a trip to the beach. Ian begged the narrator to join him in the ocean, so he could go further out. Initially she refused, but the boys enthusiasm eventually won her over. As she waded into the ocean she caught sight of her husband not-so-subtly watching the volleyball girls. Her mind became occupied, but was snapped out of it by a startling realization: she and Ian were being pulled out to sea. The narrator immediately put her body to work, swimming as hard as she could and telling Ian to do the