Two different places in The Water and the Blood by Nancy E. Turner

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

Two different places in The Water and the Blood

Nancy E. Turner’s novel, The Water and the Blood, focuses on Frosty Summers’ life during the Second World War. The war gives Frosty Summers, an open-minded girl with a dysfunctional family, the chance to escape from her hometown Sabine and experience a better life in South California. She finds out that her close-minded, intolerant parents are only an obstacle for her: they are constantly trying to keep her from doing what makes her happy. But in the end, Frosty received enough intolerance from her family to realize that she has to leave Sabine to become the happy person that she wants to be.

The Summers family is strictly religious and insists on their principles while Frosty walks through her life with curiosity and openness for the new and unknown. When Frosty joins the church service of the Missionary Way as the only white person, she realizes that the “colored” people aren’t as bad as she was taught by her parents. She describes, “I loved how everyone moved to the music. Everything even the prayers, were sung in a rolling chant that had a rhythm to it.” Frosty soon realizes that those people are very cheerful, and that she feels more comfortable in this church than in the one her family goes to. Since Frosty’s parents behave like racists, they wouldn’t like their daughter to go there, although it might make her happier than attending the church service where they go. Frosty is strong enough to ignore her parents’ rules, despite the fact that she knows they would never accept her preference.

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As Frosty moves to California she makes many new friends that are very different from the people she used to spend time with back in Sabine. One of the girls is colored and another girl is jewish - characteristics Frosty’s parents wouldn’t like to see in their daughter’s friends. One day, when Frosty spends time with them at her apartment, she observes them and thinks, “Would she [Delia] let a Negro girl like Sharmayne a joke on her and laugh? ... Julia was a Jew. If she ever brought her lovely voice to grace the Siloam Springs Baptist Church they’d never again let Deely, caterwaul from the podium…” Frosty is very proud of her friends in California and realizes that those girls would never find acceptance by her parents. Although those girls have a different skin color or another religion, they have great appreciable qualities. In her hometown Sabine, Frosty could never bring people like them to her house, and she could definitely not introduce them to her parents as her friends.

Frosty finds out that California is a place where she can live a better life. She says, “One June morning I looked at myself in the mirror as I headed out the door and realized for the first time in my entire life, I liked the image that looked back at me. I had a purpose in my life… I made my own money… I had friends who cared about me…” In Sabine, Frosty’s parents would have told her how to lead her life according to their instructions, which don’t match with her ideas. The life in California gives Frosty a feeling that she never had in Sabine: being liked and accepted the way she is.

In Gordon Benally Frosty meets the love of her life. She wants to be happy with him, but it isn’t possible in Sabine. After her parents have met Gordon, her father tells her why he doesn’t want her to be with him, “Sprinkled! That’s not baptized. We won’t see you married to some colored, catholic-ismed idolater. Unequally yoked. Unequally yoked!” Frosty’s parents don’t even try to accept a colored Navajo guy with a different religion because they are intolerant. But Frosty’s love to Gordon is strong enough to resist her parent’s opinion.

Frosty really enjoyed her life in California and was proud of earning her own money by working hard. Normally parents honor their kids if they are successful, and they show them that they are proud of what their child has reached. But Frosty’s parents were different: when she called home from California, her mother said, “I think you’d better just get on home.” Further she adds, “Heaven knows there is plenty of work around this house to keep you happy.” The mother behaves very selfish, for it would be what might make her happy, but not Frosty. There is no reason to ask her to do that, especially since Frosty is doing a good job and is confident about it. Her mother should rather be happy with her and support what she is doing. But instead, neither her mom nor her dad supports her. At least her friends in California give her a good feeling about what she is doing.

In the end, when Frosty and Gordon were about to leave Sabine, Frosty decides not to get the things that she had left at her parent’s house. “No. They’re just things. Things can be gotten again. Just keep going and don’t look back. We’ll turn into a pillar of salt or something” (394). After everything her family has done to her, she wants to leave her past behind. That is why she does not care about the items that could remind her of her life in Sabine. Also, Frosty is not a materialistic person as her mom turned out to be. Nonvisible things such as feelings and thoughts play a much more important role in her life. It was a difficult to finally leave her hometown behind, but Frosty knew that it was a step into a better future.

The novel The Water and the Blood illustrates what it is worth to compete for his/her desires, even though it may take a lot of courage. Frosty had a difficult time with her family and never received any support or love. Luckily, she never gave up, and things turned out good for her. She was strong enough to get away from her family, even though it meant a lot of trouble and pain. As a consequence, she will never have to live a life like her parents – and that is fortunate, since they seem really unhappy and frustrated. She found a way to be happy and successful and she will have a great future.