English assignment
Pool – Corey Campell
Being in love is an amazing feeling. But sometimes it has some following disadvantages. As a young couple, you’ll always being hurt. There will arise some different feelings like jealousy, which isn’t always that lovely. Drama and lots of discussions will happen. The fact is that everybody is going to experience these things in a relationship, just like it happens for Darla in the short story, ‘’Pool’’, written by the author Corey Campell in the year 2009. We follow our main character, Darla, who is in a relationship with a man by the name Jon.
The whole story is set in the summer season at the house of Trevor and Mandy, who are married.
It takes place in modern time: “The kitchen had that familiar avocado-green tinge (…) the reminder that this was all new in the 70s.” (P. 2, ll. 63-64) The narrator in this short story is a third person narrator who knows about Darla’s background etc.
The night before Jon and Darla’s condom split, and the next morning they go out to get a morning-after pill. This shows us that Darla don’t want a child in her life. In fact She tries to make fun of herself as a mother in front of Mandy; ”I'd be horrible at it. I would probably start drinking. I know I would (...) Just kidding”) (P. 3, ll. 80-82) The idea of her becoming a mother is not something she wants to consider, and she actually seems to fear having a child. Darla is in general a very shy person: ““The water feels great,” he said. “Come in and join us.” Darla reached a hand into the pool, which was warmer than she’d expected. “A little later,” she said, knowing that she wouldn’t, that she hated others seeing her in her swimsuit.” (P. 2, ll. 60-63) She doesn’t like her own body and especially not the thought of other people seeing it in a swimsuit. Besides that, Darla cares a lot about her weight; she doesn’t drink alcohol, she only drinks diet coke etc. Beyond this she is also a very humble woman: “Sorry, (…) I did not mean to disturb you” (P. 2, ll. 73-75), “it’s OK, I can sit out” (P. 4, ll. 123-124).

Darla and Jon have been in a relationship for just under a year (line 10,”Darla and Jon had been together just under a year”). The relationship between them can be described as a very immature relationship; they were swimming naked and having sex on a couch covered in dog hair, while they were housesitting. Jon is very immature compared to Darla. When they bought the pill, Jon decides to go to an expensive restaurant with Darla, which he hardly can afford. He casually begins eating the meal while Darla swallows the first pill: ”For lunch Jon had taken Darla to a Belgian restaurant (…) much too expensive for him. She let him eat his mussels while she swallow the first pill at the bathroom sink” (P. 1, ll. 18-20). In this situation he fails to realize that he might potentially become a father. That will require a lot of money. Darla is not happy in this relationship they have: “She thought of quicksand – if she were being dragged under, Jon would probably just stay there and give the same shrug” (P. 4, ll. 138-140). She states here that he wouldn’t do anything for her, and that he actually don’t care enough about her, which is a clear sign of unhappiness.

The main theme of this short story is obviously about identity search. Darla is trying to figure out what kind of relationship that “fits” her. Therefore she tries to do something different; she explores the married and mature life by observing Trevor and Mandy. But time shows that the married and mature couple only has an interest in their child. Their house feels like a prison, making the life of Trevor and Mandy seem like a prison. In the end, Darla directly asks Trevor if he is happy in his marriage. He replies with no answer but silence. She finally tries on Mandy’s swimsuit, which symbolizes Mandy’s life. It doesn’t fit. This gives Darla the final confirmation that the life of Mandy, a married and mature woman with a child, is not something for her, and that she might want to be a part of Jon and the immature life. This immature relationship gives Darla what she needs: a relationship that will not last. That is perfect for Darla because she isn’t ready to settle down.