The major themes of this entertaining story by diasporic author Rohinston Mistry are alienation, cultural adjustment, and memory. The plot alternates between the experiences of an unnamed Parsi immigrant living in Toronto, and his parent’s reaction to his nostalgic manuscript about growing up in Bombay. Swimming is a means of moving forward while staying afloat, and his swimming lessons in order to “fit in” could also be seen as a metaphor for surviving and flourishing in his adopted country. Other themes include loneliness and desire, fear, racism, aging and death, cause and effect.
The story compares various aspects of life in the two cities, including apartment living, sanitation, and aging and death. Several reviewers have objected to the protagonist’s sexual objectification of women, while others see this as a natural male response to the physical isolation that often comes with apartment living.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (9,150 words)