The Sweetness of Water

The relationship between George and Isabelle is complicated. While they are at times cold and distant from one another, there is no question that their love for each other is strong. How does the Walkers’ marriage parallel the events that unfold in the novel. Can their marriage be viewed as symbol for a larger commentary?

Nathan Harris uses contrasts between light and dark at multiple points in the novel, whether it is when describing the forest, the town and the shadows that live there, or the interior of the Walker cabin. What do these contrasts suggest? Do these images provide a parallel storyline of their own?

The narrator suggests that the town of Old Ox has burned down several times, or at other times fell on hard times and must be rebuilt. What is symbolic about the fire that occurs after George, Caleb, and Prentiss leave town?