At the Bottom of the River

“At the Bottom of the River” uses a shifting point of view—starting with a distant and omniscient third person and then first person—to explore the idea of humanity’s struggle with Death and How it Impacts Life. Through the only two prevalent characters—the narrator and her father—there are two different perspectives on death and how to live despite death being the ultimate end for everyone. The father focuses his thoughts and life on providing shelter and food for his family. Although the reader sees glimpses of his struggle with futility as he stands at the threshold of his comfortable life and ever-present death, he largely fears but ignores this idea of death coming for everything. Similar to the narrator’s parable of the creature that one day dares to sting a bee but then retracts into itself and lives solely around its home, the father elects not to venture out or see what could be done with his life beyond his home and instead settles for contentment.

Conversely, the narrator acknowledges her father’s feelings but also responds to him directly as he tells her, “‘Death is natural,’ […] in such a flat, matter-of-fact way” (71).