Paradise by Edna O'Brien
"Paradise" by Edna O'Brien explores the complexities of a relationship between a younger woman and her older lover, set against the backdrop of a beautiful yet isolating island. The narrative delves into the woman's internal struggles as she attempts to adapt to her lover's world, which starkly contrasts with her own. While she is drawn to the tranquil beauty of nature, he is captivated by adventure and the unpredictability of the sea. The story highlights her journey of learning to swim, symbolizing her effort to immerse herself in his lifestyle and win his affection.
As she navigates the challenges of fitting in with his friends and their subtle malice, the woman experiences a growing sense of entrapment. Despite her achievements, such as mastering swimming, she recognizes the limitations of their relationship, particularly his fear of emotional depth. The climax of the story occurs when she chooses to confront her despair by entering the deep end of the pool, leading to a near-fatal moment. Ultimately, she emerges from this experience with a newfound sense of freedom, rejecting both her lover and the superficial world he represents. "Paradise" poignantly examines themes of love, identity, and the quest for personal liberation.
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Paradise by Edna O'Brien
First published: 1968
Type of plot: Impressionistic
Time of work: The twentieth century
Locale: An island abroad
Principal Characters:
She , the protagonist, mistress, and victimHe , her lover and victimizer
The Story
She the two characters in this story are referred to only by the use of the pronoun) has come to stay with her older lover on a beautiful island. Fields, trees, ocean, and especially the mountains, which "seemed to be made of collapsible substance so insubstantial," capture her interest. She has come out of love and desire for him, although their worlds are different. She "is an inland person," who likes "roses in a field, thin rain and through it the roses and the vegetation." He loves the ocean, loves to sail, fish, and hunt; discovery is what matters to him. For her, the "sea is dark as the shells of mussels, and signifies catastrophe." He surrounds himself with friends, of whom he is contemptuous but who amuse him. They watch her with curiosity, knowing, as does she, that in the past there have been other wives, other women for him.
He has arranged for her to learn to swim: An instructor has been brought in for this purpose. She is afraid of the water, but she knows that she must adapt to this new medium if she is to win him. Every day, she fearfully enters the water, at first holding the instructor's hands, then a board, and later, a rope, unwilling to give herself up to the water.
She is responsible for the supervision of the cooks; she must be nice to his friends, who cut her (and often one another) with their subtle malice; and she must prepare for the day on which she must demonstrate to him, and to his friends, her ability to swim. Slowly, she masters her new environment. She reads every day, looking for amusing anecdotes to tell his friends at table. She goes out on her lover's boat with him and his friends. The food for which she is responsible sometimes is quite good. She has stopped using contraceptives (she knows that he longs for a son). She endures his occasional sneers. Finally, she learns to swim.
The day comes for the demonstration of her ability:
She went down the ladder backwards and looked at no face in particular. She crouched until the water covered her shoulders, then she gave a short leap and delivered herself to it. Almost at once she knew that she was going to do it. Her hands no longer loath to delve deep scooped the water away, and she kicked with a ferocity she had not known to be possible. She was aware of cheering but it did not matter about that. She swam, as she had promised, across the width of the pool in the shallow end. It was pathetically short, but it was what she had vouched to do.
To celebrate her achievement, he plans a party, ordering Gypsies, flowers, caviar. She will not have to worry about the food—others will prepare it. He is proud. He will, he says, teach her to ride, or he will have her taught.
However, now that she has attained her goal, she is tired. She knows that her relationship with him is limited by his fear of love: "She knew that if he chose her that they would not go in the deep end, the deep end that she dreaded and dreamed of. When it came to matters inside of himself he took no risks." Her new dress, a gift from him, reminds her of a corpse.
She goes to the pool and enters the deepest water, submitting to it "in a great bountiful baptism." As she goes down, she thinks, "They will never know, they will never know, ever know, for sure." Later, she comes back to consciousness at the side of the pool. He has rescued her from her suicide attempt. She is alive. She is also free: She has rejected his world, and now he rejects her. His friends spurn her. She knows that "when they got back to London there would be separate cars waiting for them at the airport."