In present day,  many people  react to their first judgement closing their minds to a narrow and obscure perspective. However, there are many reasons revolving around certain aspects of life defining a purpose to a concept and many people do not visualize them. In the short story, This is Water by David Wallace, imagery, tone, as well as conflict are used to explain the most obvious and important realities which are often the hardest to see and discuss.

As mentioned above, the imagery found in Wallace’s short story is of outstanding help for the reader. Instead of having to read information and figure out what Wallace is attempting to explain the reader can easily visualize the text and understand the examples provided. For instance, he describes a trip to an awfully crowded supermarket: 

[which] is hideously lit and infused with soul-killing muzak or corporate pop…[where one has] to wander all over the huge, over-lit store’s confusing aisles to find the stuff [one wants] and [one has] to maneuver [their] junky cart through all these other tired, hurried people with carts…[then] it turns out there aren't enough check-out lanes. So the checkout line is incredibly long…But [one] can’t take [their] frustration out on the frantic lady working the register, who is overworked at a job… (XIII)

Notice the detail Wallace adds into the text which allows the reader to visualize a frustrating trip sto the grocery store after a long day. The reader is able to feel the stress as well as the exhaustion of going into an extremely crowded supermarket with long checkout lines. Wallace excels in explaining the point by adding descriptive words rather than simply stating the information. The author proves that descriptive words allow a reader to look at the bigger picture. For instance, Wallace does not just state random theories of his own to prove his point. He adds proof, but besides that he adds more descriptive words that allow the reader to visualize the concept he is making. “The plain fact is that you graduating seniors do not yet have any clue what “day in and day out” really means. One such part involves boredom, routine, and petty frustration.” (XIII) After reading this text, the reader will take into consideration other people. For instance, from the text: other shoppers at the grocery store, the cashier, etc. With the imagery from this text, Wallace helps the reader realize how ordinary one’s daily routine really is until.

Wallace successfully uses a pathetic tone in order to demonstrate what the default setting is. The default setting is the normal, automatic perspective of how one views things. According to Wallace, a common way of thinking among people is self-centeredness which is inherited from birth. In other words, it is a natural life process. People are going to think for themselves and only themselves, because they do not know better. Wallace compares this to a “lens” of self, where everything is done and thought by only one person without looking at the bigger image. For example, Wallace describes the setting of the highway during rush hour. “…being disgusted about all the huge, stupid, lane-blocking SUV’s and Hummers and V-12 pickup trucks burning their gas..”(XIV). Notice the derogatory language employed to describe the setting. Said person is truly using default setting thinking about themselves and not understanding why such people drive said vehicles. In this text, Wallace provides a second example of a family driving the aforementioned vehicles which could have suffered a terrible car accident with a smaller vehicle and instead opted for a bigger one. Once again, Wallace uses tone to connect with everybody allowing the reader to view things from a broader perspective.

Conflict also plays an important role in Wallace’s text. It allows the reader to understand the texts situation and what specific purpose the conflict serves. For instance, in every example Wallace uses there is some sort of problem. From the grocery shop, he states the “crowded aisles and long checkout lines”(XIV). A person who has to wait a long time at the grocery store would most certainly describe this as a conflict. It causes disagreement or disapproval in today’s society. Without conflict, Wallace’s theory would not be valid. Therefore, he uses conflict, such as people’s frustration with the cashier, people’s unhappy reaction to the traffic jam, to show that people do not understand the different circumstances of different situations.

In conclusion, This is Water by David Wallace helps the reader realize one must not always go with the first judgment. It is better to think outside of the box and put yourself in other people’s shoes. Moreover, one must not be too self-centered because one must think in the possibilities and not on what one thinks could be the reason. For the majority of the times, one thinks that one is always correct when judging, when in reality one only thinks what he/she thinks is the most convenient for one self. Most of the time the most simple and obvious realities are the ones most difficult to understand which is why one must never judge from the beginnings. 
