The Bath, by Janet Frame, is a poignant and evocative short story that explores the theme of the therapeutic power of nature. The story is narrated by a young woman who is struggling with mental health issues, and she finds solace and healing in the natural world, specifically in the act of taking a bath in a secluded lake.
The narrator is an isolated and solitary individual who has been institutionalized in a mental hospital. She feels disconnected from the world around her and is plagued by feelings of worthlessness and despair. However, when she is taken on an outing to a lake by her caretakers, she finds herself drawn to the water. Despite her initial reluctance, she decides to go for a swim and discovers that the act of immersing herself in the water is deeply therapeutic for her.
As she swims and bathes in the lake, the narrator feels a sense of peace and connection to the natural world that she has never experienced before. She describes the water as "cool and gentle" and the trees surrounding the lake as "tall and strong." These descriptions not only convey the beauty of the natural setting, but also the sense of protection and support that the narrator feels in this environment.
The narrator's experience in the lake is transformative, and she returns to the hospital feeling renewed and recharged. She is able to sleep peacefully for the first time in a long while, and she even feels motivated to start writing again, something she had previously given up on due to her mental health struggles.
The Bath is a powerful reminder of the healing and restorative power of nature. It shows how even small moments of connection with the natural world can have a profound impact on our mental and emotional well-being. The story is a testament to the importance of finding ways to connect with the outdoors, whether through activities such as swimming or simply by spending time in nature, and it serves as a reminder of the value of self-care and self-compassion.
A Story about the Tyranny of Aging and the Horror that a Debilitating Body Rains Down on the Elderly Analysis Essay Example
More importantly, they can see that this struggle can prove extremely arborous in many cases. The next day, she takes the bus to the cemetery. Janet Frame grew up as one of five children in a working-class family in New Zealand. Apart from this, the house does not seem very modern. Again, while she is comparing the graves of her parents with that of her husband there is a yearning for the time when there were wide open spaces, that are taken up by people due to over population. You need to commit to each poem as if it was it's own story, and each inspires thought and wonder.
The Bath by Janet Frame Flashcards
Before she gets into the bath, she places a chair beside the tub in case she needs to reach for it when the time comes to get out. But she also relies on him physically. With great effort, she is able to get out and tells herself that she will no longer take baths due to the difficulty involved. Eventually, the widow falls asleep, thinking of the cold white frost outside and of the cemetery. Desperately unhappy because of family tragedies and finding herself trapped in the wrong vocation as a schoolteacher her only escape appeared to be in submission to society's judgement of her as abnormal. She even dozes off for a little bit.
Literary analysis: The Bath, by Janet Frame ~ Hey Reader!
That night, she lays in bed thinking that it would be better to die than live in such a lonely and feeble state. Which would play on the theme of mortality. She always takes a bath before going somewhere important. Rather childish, it was the reaction of an offended person on this cruel world. If this part of the narrative is removed, the readers may not get in-depth insights into the inner world of this old lady. At the ends of this passage, Janet Frame shows how her fear and panic turns into frustration and despair. Place setting The general place setting is a town called Dunedin.
The Facts of Life: Janet Frame's 'the Bath'. on Apple Books
Frame has an incredible coverage of topics, from the feeling of being in a museum to her elderly cat. Time Setting The time setting is the 20th century, sometime after the invention of the radio, but probably before modern heating appliances became popular. She has to rely on others to assist her. Being unable to get out of there, the old woman is buried alive in metaphorical sense — she has no interest for life and the bath is like a grave for her soul. The old woman struggles with every task she performs. Janet Frame remains one of New Zealand's irreplaceable treasures.
Short Story Analysis: The Bath by Janet Frame
She thinks about her niece who sometimes comes to look in on her and how their relationship has become strained. Not only does she realize that it is beyond her fast dwindling strength but she finds it quite humiliating to rely on somebody else, like the community nurse for help. In later years the geese went but the bath was brought indoors as a receptable into which Janet piled her jottings as she reworked and developed her poems. All this time, she dreads the process of getting out and delays as much as possible. Then, she heats the water so she can take a bath. During the night, the weather begins to warm and the frost melts. The woman is struggling through out the story and a bath is usually a place where an individual would refresh themselves or wash themselves.
