
Literary elements are frequently used by authors in order to emphasize, contradict, or to further develop underlying themes in stories. Whether it be similes, metaphors, or even repetition, all affect the theme in some way. By use of repetition, a lax tone, and an extended metaphor, David Foster Wallace is able to further develop the theme of realization which is vital as it allows readers to truly understand the message he is conveying in “This is Water”.

Throughout the piece, Wallace includes phrases and words that are repeated. Once introduced to the fish questioning “What the hell is water?”, readers are unable to infer exactly what Wallace wants to accomplish with this scenario (Wallace). There is a sense of ambiguity that Wallace leaves the readers feeling, until he states “That may sound like hyperbole, or abstract nonsense” (1). This is a signal that the following text is going to draw the metaphor regarding the fish to an end and a more concrete idea is going to be presented. Wallace then proceeds to discuss this more concrete idea. Although obvious, the impact of the phrase Wallace uses is substantial. If this phrase was absent, readers would not be able to key in on the change from the metaphor regarding the fish to a key thematic section discussing the realization that important and obvious parts of life are overlooked and replaced by pettier aspects. Wallace repeats this phrase later in the story as he speaks of suicide. The use of the phrase this time is not to delineate a change in topic, but rather to state that the upcoming information is much more relevant to the target audience, freshmen in their first few weeks of college, than other information in the work. Similar to the initial use of the phrase, Wallace’s use of the phrase “That may sound like hyperbole, or abstract nonsense. So let's get concrete…” further develops the theme of realization. The realization that high school seniors had never truly experienced a full schedule and that the next chapter of their life is going to be chock-full of “boredom, routine, and petty frustration” (3). The use of the phrase emphasizes the theme of the piece as they both signify when a reader should key in on important parts of the passage that will reveal important thematic ideas. 

The use of an extended metaphor, just as repetition and tone, is effective when emphasizing and developing the theme of a story. This entire piece is a metaphor. The fish questioning the water is symbolic of people questioning their existence. Throughout “This is Water”, Wallace continues to refer back to the fish scenario and how what they live in water; however, once enveloped in moral advice, Wallace neglects to mention the fish. This is due to the fact that Wallace expects readers to realize that every piece of advice he preaches, relates back to the fish questioning the water. Wallace does this to prove that people do not realize that what they are living in and they fail to think about the essentials that are keeping them alive. He prefaces the entire metaphor with the older fish asking “Morning, boys, how’s the water?” (1). This initial question introduces the metaphor and overall theme of the passage. The young fish do not realize what they are completely submerged in, as they are distracted by much more minor things in life. Wallace wants readers to realize when times get tough, step away from everything and realize that “this is water, this is water” (8). Each and every message given to readers in Wallace’s piece relates to the extended metaphor. All intentionally done by Wallace to ensure that readers are understanding that not everything in life should be expected. Sometimes the simple things in life need to be noticed. In this instance, the extended metaphor proved beneficial to the development of the theme of that certain realization. The tone of a passage is how the writer wants their writing to be read. The tone of “This is Water” is very lax and conversational. When reading, it seems as if David Foster Wallace is addressing the audience, freshmen, as they would address one another. The tone of the entire passage seems down to earth and understandable to most people which allows the message to be conveyed to most. Towards the beginning, Wallace writes, “If at this moment, you’re worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise old fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don’t be” realizing exactly what his audience is thinking while reading the story (1). The previous line essentially calls out the audience members on what they were expecting to read passed the introduction. If readers are willing to accept the fact that the author of this piece is not using complex sentence structure with intricate vocabulary, instead using vernacular, then the theme will be found to be more understandable. When Wallace is using an example to make a point regarding the petty things in life in the middle of the story he writes:

By way of example, let's say it's an average day, and you get up in the morning, go to your challenging job, and you work hard for nine or ten hours, and at the end of the day you're tired, and you're stressed out, and all you want is to go home and have a good supper and maybe unwind for a couple of hours and then hit the rack early because you have to get up the next day and do it all again. (3)

The run on sentence above seems entirely conversational when read aloud, almost as if Wallace were addressing his audience by word of mouth. This quote is the set up for a moral lesson in which Wallace continues to address that people take the expected things for granted in life. Although the grammar is incorrect, the passage does a better job of introducing the idea than a properly formatted sentence with correct grammar would have, as it has a much more conversational feel to it. Not only is it easy to understand, but it seems less formal. Typically, new college freshmen will pay more attention to writing that is less formal, as it seems less serious. These two examples of Wallace’s informal and relaxed tone are some of many instances in which this tone is displayed. The tone of any passage is purposefully created by authors to ensure that the reader is reacting properly to the text allowing for a further development of theme. In “This is Water” Wallace utilizes a lax tone to communicate a serious message.  A message deeper than just some fish questioning their surrounding habitat. A message that relates to the masses not realizing the essentials to life and frequently overlooking them.

Literary devices are commonly used throughout pieces of literature in order to effect the theme of that literature. David Foster Wallace includes repetition, an extended metaphor, and a seemingly conversational tone to effect the theme of “This is Water”. By use of those literary devices, Wallace is able to emphasize and further expand upon the theme of realization. These techniques are used to show readers that regardless of what is going on in their lives, in the end, the simplest aspects will always be there waiting to be recognized. 
