82 pages • 2 hours read
Alex FlinnBreathing Underwater
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2001A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Character Analysis
Nick
Nick is the 16-year-old protagonist of the novel who is beaten and verbally abused by his father. When we meet him, Nick is an aggressive antihero who is bitter about his father’s abuse. He knows that his home life is not normal, but he does not reach out for help because he is afraid of being seen as weak or incapable of dealing with the abuse. Thus, he acknowledges that he wears a mask for everyone, pretending that everything is fine. His relationship with his father is based on violence and fear, and he eventually uses violence in his relationship with Caitlin as a response to his fear of her leaving him. When he is ordered by the judge to attend family violence sessions, he is at first resistant and cynical, and he refuses to see his behavior as problematic. Even when he admits to himself that what he did to Caitlin was wrong, he is not willing to change.
As he continues writing in his court-mandated journal, he relives the damage, both physical and emotional, that he caused to the important people in his life. He revisits the events that led to his violent actions, and this hindsight helps him see his own errors and the ways his father’s abuse influenced his behavior. He is finally able to apologize to Caitlin sincerely and let her go. After his friend Leo from the family violence group kills himself in a murder-suicide, Nick sees the urgency of changing his own destructive patterns. He finally confronts his father and demands the abuse stop; his father shows remorse, and it does stop. Nick also takes the family class again voluntarily to continue growing and unlearning his violent tendencies.
Caitlin
Caitlin is Nick’s girlfriend who, after being physically and emotionally abused by Nick for months, eventually files a restraining order against him. She is the only person who knows about Nick’s father’s abuse. Although we only see her through Nick’s memories, we learn that before she began her relationship with Nick, she was considered overweight and not part of the popular crowd. When she loses weight, Nick notices her, and throughout their relationship, her self-esteem remains low. She is afraid of gaining weight and believes people only like her because she is now thinner. Caitlin’s mother also plays a role in Caitlin’s body issues, having sent Caitlin to a summer camp to lose the weight. Caitlin’s mother is obsessed with her own image and projects this obsession onto Caitlin. Nick frequently takes advantage of Caitlin’s poor self-esteem and insults her weight, thus worsening her self-worth. Despite Nick’s constant berating and physical abuse, Caitlin forgives him repeatedly. When he needs support or reassurance, she provides it to him even when the cost is her own happiness, such as when Nick forces her to give up her choir solo or her trip to see her father.
After the judge grants the restraining order and she avoids contact with Nick, she is able to heal from the damage he caused her. Some of the friends she made while she was with Nick, who she was afraid would abandon her if they broke up or if she gained weight, stay to support her and protect her from Nick. She begins a new relationship with Saint O’Connor, which, although it does not turn into anything serious, shows that she is trying to move on. She reconnects with her best friend, Elsa, whom she distanced herself from while dating Nick because he felt threatened by her. Eventually, she receives a final apology from Nick, and whereas with his previous apologies she could see that they were meaningless, she finally believes him and lets him go. We learn from Tom that she has moved away to live with her father and leave the experience with Nick behind.
Tom
Tom is Nick’s best friend and one of the people he hurts with his violent behavior. Nick sees Tom as the perfect guy: all-star athlete, perfect family life, great girlfriend, and overall great life. Even though Nick knows about Tom’s issues with his family’s expectations—they do not approve of Tom’s artistic hobbies or his Cuban girlfriend—Nick nevertheless wishes he was more like Tom. This desire is contrasted with Nick’s view of Leo, whom Nick does not wish to become. Still, Nick resents that everything seemingly comes easily to Tom and does not feel comfortable confiding in him about his father’s abuse. Via Nick’s memories, we learn that Tom tried to talk to Nick about his behavior with Caitlin. Tom was uncomfortable with the way Nick spoke to her, and he tried making this clear to Nick. After Nick badly beats Caitlin, Tom stops speaking to Nick and fully supports Caitlin. Nick feels betrayed and does not understand that his best friend tried to help him because he cares.
Tom eventually reads a poem that Nick wrote, which Caitlin helps Tom understand is about him and the way that Nick sees Tom. She also reveals to him the truth about Nick’s father. Tom confronts Nick and demands to know why Nick hid something so damaging. They have a serious, truthful discussion. Nick realizes his relationship with Tom is too important to lose and that Tom is perhaps the most important relationship in his life, and the two work on becoming friends again.
