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Water (which shows up in a number of forms in the novel) symbolizes the interconnectedness between life and death. Finch admits at one point that he has “a thing for water.” His affinity for water takes a variety of forms: he swims in the summer when it’s warm enough, he practices holding his breath underwater for long periods of time, and some of the novel’s happiest moments take place when Finch and Violet swim together. Water, Finch explains, is his favorite way to “cheat the Asleep”—that is, it makes him feel more alive, as when he holds his breath and feels invincible.
However, the novel makes it clear that one of the primary reasons Finch likes water so much is because he’s well aware that it can kill him if he lets it. Indeed, the fact that he fixates on writer Virginia Woolf’s suicide supports this: she filled her pockets with rocks and then drowned in a river. And as Finch’s mental health deteriorates and he begins contemplating suicide, he becomes increasingly interested in water and even leaves clues as to his whereabouts that mention water for Violet. Violet is ultimately able to follow his clues directing her to the Blue Hole, where Finch presumably drowned himself. Water, in this instance, symbolizes death.
Because of this, though, it’s significant that the novel ends with Violet swimming in the Blue Hole on a hot summer day. As she swims, she thinks of Finch—and she also thinks about all the places she wants to go and see in the future. This reinforces the idea that water symbolizes both life and death—and the idea that life and death exist in a delicate balance, particularly for suicidal people like Finch. Water can make a person feel more alive, as it does in that moment for Violet and it once did for Finch—but it can also take a person’s life away.
Water (the Blue Hole, Swimming Pools, Rivers) Quotes in All the Bright Places
The All the Bright Places quotes below all refer to the symbol of Water (the Blue Hole, Swimming Pools, Rivers). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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12. Finch: The night of the day my life changed
Quotes
Water is peaceful. I am at rest. In the water, I am safe and pulled in where I can’t get out. Everything slows down—the noise and the racing of my thoughts. I wonder if I could sleep like this, here on the bottom of the bathtub, if I wanted to sleep, which I don’t. I let my mind drift. I hear words forming as if I’m sitting at the computer already.
In March of 1941, after three serious breakdowns, Virginia Woolf wrote a note to her husband and walked to a nearby river. She shoved heavy stones into her pocket and dove into the water. “Dearest,” the note began, “I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can’t go through another of those terrible times…So I am doing what seems the best thing to do.”
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32. Finch: The first warm day
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“What are you most afraid of?”
I think, I’m most afraid of Just be careful. I’m most afraid of the Long Drop. I’m most afraid of Asleep and impending, weightless doom. I’m most afraid of me.
“I’m not.”
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54. Violet: May 3
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In all his words, the preacher doesn’t mention suicide. The family is calling his death an accident because they didn’t find a proper note […]. I stand, thinking how it wasn’t an accident at all and how “suicide victim” is an interesting term. The victim part of it implies they had no choice. And maybe Finch didn’t feel like he had a choice, or maybe he wasn’t trying to kill himself at all but just going in search of the bottom.
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Water (the Blue Hole, Swimming Pools, Rivers) Symbol Timeline in All the Bright Places
The timeline below shows where the symbol Water (the Blue Hole, Swimming Pools, Rivers) appears in All the Bright Places. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
12. Finch: The night of the day my life changed
...it is, but he puts his feet up the wall until his head is totally underwater. He pretends he’s in a lake. For Finch, water is peaceful and safe. Everything—including his...
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Finch’s lungs begin to burn. He’s not sure how long he’s been underwater, but it’s been several minutes at least. He thinks about the man who holds the...
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21. Finch: Day 22 and I’m still here
...Finch drove to French Lick, a resort with a healing spring. He drank the spring water to “fix the dark, slow churning” in his mind and felt great until he woke...
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23. Finch: Days 23, 24, 25…
...an old blue comforter of Kate’s. After two days, the walls are blue like a swimming pool . Finch can catch his breath. He leaves the ceiling white, since white contains the...
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24. Violet: 135, 134, 133 days to go
...is chasing them or yelling at them. When they get to the trees near the river, Finch tells Violet to be quiet—the first one to make a noise has to streak...
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...would be more fun if Violet was naked too, and then he dives into the river. Violet sits on the bank and watches him, and then she pulls out their notebook...
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...off anymore, but Violet isn’t worried about being counted absent. Finch gets out of the river, dresses, and starts to tell Violet what they should do next. But then, Roamer, Ryan,...
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25. Finch: Day 27 (I am still here)
Finch watches Violet leave and then sits on the floor of the shower. He can’t look at himself in the mirror. Then, Finch turns on his computer, even...
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27. Violet: Saturday
...as he quotes an ancient Vedic hymn, Finch finishes it. The last line is about water, and Finch says he “ha[s] this thing about water.” For the rest of breakfast, Finch...
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29. Finch: Day 30 (and I am AWAKE)
...worth it, and he remembers Violet’s look when he tried to drown Roamer at the river. Finch starts to count as Roamer slams Finch into a locker and punches him in...
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32. Finch: The first warm day
...Blue Hole in Prairieton. He leads her over a hill to a round pool of water surrounded by trees. Finch explains that supposedly, the Blue Hole is either bottomless or has...
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...of “Asleep” and himself. But he tells Violet he’s not afraid and leaps into the water with her.
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Finch leads Violet in a dive toward the center of the Blue Hole . They return to the surface when Violet tugs on Finch’s hand, and she comments...
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...himself not to panic and thinks that drowning isn’t a common method of committing suicide. Water is Finch’s favorite way to “cheat the Asleep.” He wants to keep going, but he...
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...time. Finch is afraid he’s frightened her too much as he comes out of the water. When he’s next to her, Violet pushes him and slaps him. Finch reminds himself this...
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33. Violet: The Day Of
...His bedroom is now blue, and Violet feels like she’s in a swimming pool. She showers first, and then Finch showers quickly. He returns to his bedroom in his towel and...
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38. Finch: How to survive quicksand
...walk-in closet, which feels like a warm, cozy cave. He brings in the jug of water from Mudlavia and a picture of Violet in with him, along with the license plate...
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46. Violet: March 18
...woman who must be Finch’s mom opens the door, invites Violet in, and gets her water. She says that Finch should be home from school by now, and Violet realizes that...
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...Violet asks if Finch has spoken to anyone. She looks around, notices the pillows and water jug, and asks if Finch is living in the closet. Finch just says that he’s...
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50. Violet: The rest of March
...next afternoon, he writes cryptically, “The glow of Ultraviolet.” The following day, he writes, “A lake. A prayer. It’s so lovely to be lovely in Private.” Then, the texts stop.
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52. Violet: April 26
...with: “There was nothing to make him last a long time” and “Go to the water if it suits thee there.”
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...line is from The Waves. Violet thinks he’s gone someplace they wandered where there was water. Violet offers to give Finch’s mom directions to several places, but Finch’s mom turns to...
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53. Violet: April 26 (part 2)
...alive. But Violet gets out, walks up the embankment, and then walks down to the Blue Hole . It’s peaceful and quiet. Violet notices Finch’s clothes folded neatly on the bank. She...
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Violet takes off her shoes and dives into the water. She swims as deep as she can, but she can’t hold her breath as long...
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57. Violet: Remaining wanderings 3 and 4
Violet heads for Munster, a small town bordered by rivers in Northwest Indiana. She stops at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, and a...
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...is in Farmersburg, 15 miles from the Blue Hole. Violet checks the corresponding text: “A lake. A prayer. It’s so lovely to be lovely in Private.” When she can’t find anything...
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58. Violet: The Last Wandering
...past all the churches, but none of them are very pretty, and none are near water. At a gas station, she asks the attendant about nearby lakes and churches. He says...
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...She stops in and asks an employee if she knows where she’d find a beautiful lake and a church. The woman says that Emmanuel Baptist Church is up the highway, and...
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59. Violet: June 20
...parks on the side of the road and then hikes over the embankment to the Blue Hole . She dives in, looking for Finch even though she knows she won’t find him....
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...part of the legend of the Blue Hole, and he’ll always be there. Violet treads water and admires the sky. It reminds her of Finch, just like everything else does. She...
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