62 pages • 2 hours read
Marian HaleDark Water Rising
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Seth Braeden
Content Warning: The novel refers to Black people as “colored,” but this guide will use the term Black to follow the example set by Black scholars, writers, and journalists. The novel contains graphic descriptions of the aftermath of a natural disaster, including loss of life. It references ecological disasters and their devastating effects. The book references and depicts sexism and intense racism and oppression toward Black and Latinx people.
Seth Braeden is the novel’s 17-year-old protagonist. He is the oldest of four children and has two younger brothers, Matt and Lucas, as well as a four-year-old sister named Kate. Seth is a perceptive, caring, and compassionate person who thinks of others. Throughout the course of the novel, he “comes of age,” or transitions from the position of child to the position of adult. This transition is marked by external indicators, such as an increase in responsibility and a shift of childhood duties from Seth to his younger brother, Matt, but it is also marked by an internal element: Seth’s faith in himself and his ability to be clear and firm with his father about what he wants for his future. Seth is a dynamic and round character.
When the novel begins, Seth is very anxious about his father’s opinions and plans for him. Though he is certain he does not want to go to college, Seth is reluctant to assert himself with his father and spends his time hoping instead that his father will recognize his skill and love for carpentry. After the storm happens, Seth is left at Uncle Nate’s to function as the “man of the house” and as the leader of the rebuilding efforts. This period not only allows Seth to demonstrate his maturity and skills but also gives him the confidence to believe in himself. In earlier parts of the novel—and even immediately following the storm—Seth has a deep fear of his father’s judgment and disapproval. By the time he and Josiah finish rebuilding Ezra’s house, Seth believes in himself and his abilities and is confident in his work. He is no longer worried about his father surveying what he’s built and finding it wanting; he sees himself as a real carpenter and believes in what he’s done. This allows Seth to be honest and clear with his father about his plans to be a carpenter rather than go to college. The external shift to adulthood is shown in his father’s response to this news: he shows Seth the sign he had made for the business he plans for them to start together.
Seth’s adulthood does not mimic his father’s. Where Papa is emotionally distant and seems to care little for the feelings of those he loves, Seth is deeply aware of his loved ones’ emotional states and the things that could affect them. His ongoing concern for Josiah’s well-being after the night he spent on the barge shows this, as does the way he watches and thinks about Ella Rose and her “darkness” and grief. Another example is the porch Seth builds on Ezra’s house, knowing that the older man enjoyed his garden and would be happy if he had a place to view it.
Seth is also open-minded and accepting of people. Despite the racist structure of the society, he interacts with Josiah and Ezra as though their equality and humanity are undeniable and obvious. He makes note of those who treat Black people poorly, including his own father and his callous comment at the beginning of the novel, and appreciates those who are accepting. His compassion and empathy allow him to see the precarious position Josiah and Ezra occupy; he can’t change society, but he can treat both men with care and respect.
Papa
Papa is viewed through Seth’s eyes, and thus his characterization is affected by Seth’s anxiety and resentment toward the man. Seth sees Papa as a distant, stubborn, and disapproving person who expects his commands to be followed. Seth explains, “he’d always been slow to share his mind and slower still to change it” (4). Papa is also slow to praise his children or to share his thoughts and feelings with them:
Like always, I wondered what was behind his smile. Was he proud that I’d done a man’s work today, or just glad that I was saving toward college? It was different with Mr. Farrell. ‘Good work, Seth,’ he’d said, and that wide, gapped grin of his told me that he meant it. I couldn’t remember ever hearing Papa say words like that. Not to me. Not to any of us (48).
Despite his stubbornness and emotional distance, Papa wants the best for his family and works hard for them. Papa is a somewhat flat character but shows some dynamism by the novel’s end.
Like Seth, Papa is changed by the storm. He volunteers to rebuild the bridge, showing that he is a person who is willing to work hard to do the right thing and help others. In the aftermath, Seth sees changes: “I did notice something different about him, something thoughtful, almost serene in the way he looked at even simple things” (196). Whether it was the loss of his home and possessions, his brother and nephew, or the sheer traumatic experience of the storm, Seth notices: “something had shifted inside of him, cracked the tough shell around that tender part of himself he’d always kept locked away. You could see it if you knew what to look for, and I guess I’d been looking for it most all my life. Now it was there” (196). This change is reflected in Papa’s behavior toward Seth and the other children: “A softness in his eyes when he spoke to me, an ear turned to catch every word, a hand lingering on a shoulder” (196). Grieving, having lost everything, and having seen horrible things, Papa ends the novel a changed person; he is more open to his children’s desires for their own lives, more affectionate and approving, and more approachable.
Josiah
Like Seth, Josiah is in his mid-teens and wants to work as a carpenter. He is Black and is discriminated against because of his race, which remains a point of offensive racism in turn-of-the-century Texas. Josiah is cautious but brave; he knows the dangers that await him out in the world, but he still chooses to stand by Seth’s side as they brave the storm together. Like Seth, Josiah is empathetic, but he’s also pragmatic and talks Seth down from an emotional response more than once in the book—for example, when Seth becomes desperate to rescue Sarah Louise, Josiah is able to comfort him and refocus him on continuing their journey. Josiah is also good at reading social situations—for example, when Seth confronts the crew of men angrily because they won’t help rescue Sarah Louise and the others, Josiah recognizes how beaten down and helpless the men already are. He smooths over the situation, promising the men that Seth appreciates all they’re doing. Josiah is a somewhat round and dynamic character.
Josiah is at first wary and confused by Seth’s overtures of friendship. He is aware of the difference between them and maintains appropriate conventions despite Seth’s frustrations; when Seth insists that Josiah not call him “Mr. Seth” and that his name is “just plain ol’ Seth,” Josiah reminds Seth, “Not for me, it ain’t” (115). This shows Josiah’s awareness of the impossibility of a true, equal friendship between the two boys. By the end of the novel, however, Josiah has found ease in Seth’s presence. Their long days of working together to repair Uncle Nate’s and Ezra’s houses bind them together, and they are able to sit side-by-side on the roof and enjoy each other’s company.
