History on the Dark Side in Waterland
Andrew Lanphere (93)
In Waterland, Tom Crick traces his own history, along with that of his family. Crick discovers that at certain moments, we all becomes a part of history. These moments, when one is thrust upon the stage of history, become the defining moments of life. For Crick however,
History begins only at the point where things go wrong; history is born only with trouble, with perplexity, with regret. (106)
Thus, for Tom Crick, it is the part he plays in a pair of bizaare and tragic episodes, one from his youth and one from his old age -- rather than his more positive years of service as a teacher -- which serve to define his place in history. In Waterland, history dwells upon the dark side of man's nature.
