30 pages 1 hour read

Anne Tyler

Average Waves in Unprotected Waters

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1977

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Literary Devices

Point of View

Tyler narrates the story through Bet, in third-person limited point of view. This means that readers are privy to Bet’s thoughts and observations but no one else’s. Being bound to her perspective is more intimate than an omniscient point of view would be, but it still offers readers some distance from her. That small separation allows readers to identify with Bet without having to metaphorically be the character, as would be the case with a first-person narrator. The gap between reader and protagonist also permits Tyler to be slightly less specific in delineating Bet’s identity, setting her up as more of a model or archetypal character.

Readers might question whether Bet is a reliable narrator. She is an exhausted, feeble woman in a life moment overwrought with conflicting emotions. Some of the key information Bet reveals comes from her memories, which are inherently fallible. While Bet may not be completely dependable regarding the truth, however, she is the only one who can convey her truth, which further develops her persona as an archetype.

Related Titles

By Anne Tyler

Plot Summary

logo

A Patchwork Planet

Anne Tyler

A Patchwork Planet

Anne Tyler

Study Guide

logo

A Spool of Blue Thread

Anne Tyler

A Spool of Blue Thread

Anne Tyler

Plot Summary

logo

Breathing Lessons

Anne Tyler

Breathing Lessons

Anne Tyler

Plot Summary

logo

Digging to America

Anne Tyler

Digging to America

Anne Tyler

Study Guide

logo

Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant

Anne Tyler

Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant

Anne Tyler

Study Guide

logo

French Braid

Anne Tyler

French Braid

Anne Tyler

Study Guide

logo

Redhead by the Side of the Road

Anne Tyler

Redhead by the Side of the Road

Anne Tyler

Study Guide

logo

Teenage Wasteland

Anne Tyler

Teenage Wasteland

Anne Tyler

Study Guide

logo

The Accidental Tourist

Anne Tyler

The Accidental Tourist

Anne Tyler