

Literary elements are frequently used by authors in order to emphasize, contradict, or to further develop themes in stories. Similes, metaphors, and repetition all affect the theme in their own unique ways. Through the use of repetition, a lax tone, and an extended metaphor, David Foster Wallace is able to develop the theme of realization which allows readers to truly understand that the simplest things that are ignored on a day to day basis will be unrecognized yet always there.

Throughout “This is Water”, Wallace includes phrases that repeat. Once introduced to the fish questioning “What the hell is water?”, there is a sense of ambiguity that Wallace leaves the readers feeling, until he states “That may sound like hyperbole, or abstract nonsense” (Wallace 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, college seniors about to graduate. 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 college 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 key thematic statements regarding the essentials in life being neglected. 

Additionally, the use of an extended metaphor, just as repetition and tone, is effective when emphasizing and developing the theme of a story. Due to the fact that the story regarding the fish is symbolic, this entire piece is an extended metaphor. 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 past 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, the theme will 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 explain 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. Not only is it easy to understand, but it seems less formal. Typically, college seniors will pay more attention to writing that is less formal, as it is 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. In “This is Water” Wallace utilizes a lax tone to communicate a serious message.  A message deeper than just a fish questioning its surrounding habitat. A message that relates to the masses not realizing the essentials to life and frequently overlooking them for other petty aspects of life.

Altogether, literary devices are used throughout pieces of literature to develop the theme. David Foster Wallace includes repetition, an extended metaphor, and a seemingly conversational tone to effect the theme of “This is Water”. Given these points, 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. 
