The Lifeguard, by Mary Morris, was clearly written from the perspective of someone who knows all about teenage boys and girls. This work was a rather comical piece and kept me laughing. Yet, giving the piece a bittersweet touch, Morris skillfully mingled rather sobering moments in with the comedy. Morris set the scene on a beach called “Pirate’s Point” where a teenage heartthrob lifeguard patrolled the waters, living what he initially thought to be an awesome life. The lifeguard, Josh Michles, loved his summers as a lifeguard. He “loved to walk the beach with a girl dangling from his bicep.” Girls would give him their undivided attention. They would bring him cokes, hotdogs and just about anything his heart desired. The only thing he did not like about his summer job was a particular woman. He felt that she constantly watched him. Her name was Mrs. Lovenheim. Josh felt as though “she never spoke unless she wanted something and she never got up until it was time for him to go home.” At first, most of this story appears to be some kind of teenage summer romance tale, until there is a drowning. Naturally, the tragedy was a heavy weight to bear for many of the characters in the story. The drowning was later followed by a near death experience when a girl named Becky (the daughter of Josh’s old babysitter who is very dear to him) nearly chokes to death. Despite his best efforts Josh did not know what to do to save this poor girl. After exclaiming, “he has done all he has been trained to do,” the surrounding spectators continued to pressure him. “This is your job, you are the lifeguard, save her!”, spectators exclaimed. As Josh could do no more, Mrs. Lovenheim swooped in and rescued the day. She performed the Heimlich maneuver on poor Becky, cleared her air passage and saved her life. A little while later, John felt as though he needed to thank Mrs. Lovenheim. He visited this woman’s house even though he used to be so opposed to her and he thanked her. He sobbed as she nurtured him in her arms. In that moment he realized he did not crave the touch and attention from all those young teenage girls, rather he needed to be nurtured and cared for by the genuine touch of Mrs. Lovenheim.
Britt: I’ve done some editing here. Also, try to concentrate on the craft of the stories — on what the author has done to make the work persuasive or compelling — and on what the thematic concerns of the story appear to be. Here, for the most part, you simply summarize the story’s action.