n author uses language to impact the reader’s thinking. The repetition of words or phrases within a story can hammer home an idea within one’s mind while reading. David Foster Wallace, the author of “This is Water”, uses the word “or” many times within the story to demonstrate the effect choices have on people’s lives. While addressing Kenyon College, during his graduation commencement ceremony speech, Foster talks about the choices these young people are able to make every day in order to change their lives and avoid the dark, dull and boring adult life many face each day. Foster successfully shows that “or” is a platform used to discuss the choices people make have on their lives.

For David Foster Wallace the use of “or” is to indicate that change is occurring. “Or moments” are an opportunity for someone to take charge of a situation and ensure a difference is made, not only in themselves, but others also, according to Wallace. Every day people are granted the opportunity to make decisions; while some are big and very meaningful, others seem meaningless and monotonous. Each and every decision dictates the course of the day. However, in order to make a day great or even just better than the same old same old we need to break the chains that oppress people into routines each day. David Foster Wallace shows that our default setting is what makes people this way:

Look, if I choose to think about it this way, fine, lots of us do — except that thinking this way certainly tends to be so easy and automatic it doesn't have to be a choice. Thinking this way is my natural default-setting. It's the automatic, unconscious way that I experience the boring, frustrating, crowded parts of my adult life when I'm operating on the automatic, unconscious belief that I am the center of the world and that my immediate needs and feelings are what should determine the world's priorities. (Foster Wallace XIII). 

He continues to say that the only way that individuals are able to break this way of thinking is with mental toughness and will. Will and mental toughness are the backbone of every “or” moment, they are needed to stray from normality and be better than before. The “or” choices have an impact like no others, in terms of their ability to induce change for people. This is how David Foster Wallace addresses “or” within This is Water.

The use of perspective is keen when thinking about a situation. Having a vantage point different from your own shows the measure of the value of our decisions. Foster explains this when he says, “Or that Hummer that just cut me off is maybe being driven by a father whose little child is hurt or sick in the seat next to him, and he is trying to get this kid to the hospital now, and he is in a bigger, more legitimate hurry than I am: it is actually I who am in HIS way” (Foster Wallace XV). The traffic here is different for everyone. The use of “or” here shows that people have a choice within their everyday life, and with this choice people are able to make a big difference. The choices individuals face dictate what they take out of each interaction. Foster Wallace does this by using a real life situation to mimic the process of thought that people have, in order to show the amount of effort needed to bring about change. 

Foster also shows that “or” is used for everyday decisions that seem meaningless to that person, but are beneficial to becoming more aware in breaking away from the natural setting individuals are on in the long run. When faced with these little life decisions, Foster Wallace is able to make the difference in himself. He profoundly chooses not to focus on himself; as this is a way to make change a reality, “Or I can choose to force myself to consider the likelihood that everyone else in the supermarket’s checkout line and are just as bored and frustrated as I am, and that some of these people probably have harder, more tedious and painful lives than I do” (Foster Wallace XV). This is applicable to everyone, as Mr. Wallace tries to use “or” to replicate the choices are given in lives every day. He says that people can focus on themselves or others, and this is a challenge that everyone faces, and with the use of “or” they are able to address the choices that are present. Changing a view point on something is the change needed to stand different and be better, with this use of “or” either someone can be mad about how they have to be in a line or they can understand that it is a blessing and not everybody gets the opportunity to buy food whenever they would like to. Foster Wallace understands that some people have more difficult lives than others. However, he also is able to take into consideration the value of the choices they make. If they put emphasis on all their “or” moments, anyone is able to transform a situation.

Changing the perspective on a situation with “or” is all that people need to revolutionize one’s way of thinking. People are able to revolutionize their thinking with “or” easily. By not taking the little decisions for granted, a person is able to think about each one of their decisions and come to the conclusion whether or not this is the best option for them. He also says that people need to break away from their nature to be able to have change, “Or maybe this very lady is the low-wage clerk at the motor vehicle department, who just yesterday helped your spouse resolve a horrific, infuriating, red-tape problem through some small act of bureaucratic kindness” (Foster Wallace XV). David Foster Wallace, preaches how the people folks expect the least from use “or” to switch the situation in their favor. If people put up walls of defense to outside forces, people are never going to be able to disengage from their normal lives. When changing perspectives, you are able to see the full scope of the decisions that are made. This use of “or” shows that people are able to choose anything they want in their lives; this is known because he is faced with a problem and the only solution is through using “or” to address the choice. The choices range greatly and show that nothing is truly as it seems.

In This is Water by David Foster Wallace people are constantly reminded to break the cycle of our dull everyday lives. The use of “or” within the story shows that folks need to focus on others and not just ourselves always. This provides people with multiple choices for any situation and shows that individuals can always break out from the norms that society presents for us. Within the story, Foster Wallace shows “or” used in many instances including addressing everyday problems and big decisions in our lives. Foster Wallace uses these examples because they are applicable to all readers. With this in mind, these “or moments” are able to be a commonality for everyone involved. Since everyone has this in common, Foster Wallace is able to show the true impact all of these decisions have on one’s life. The only way people can break out of this state is with the use of “or” within our lives. Pick your head up and realize that the choice that provided with “or” is what is needed to cease our boring lives and start with new life within our lives.
