The swimming event in which Jeannette's father continuously threw her into the water to teach her how to swim epitomizes how the Walls lived life in general. Sink or swim. Throughout the novel, the Walls encounter many sink or swim situations, though the situations are not as literal as Jeannette's options of literally learning how to swim or drowning. Jeannette's father was constantly bouncing back and forth between having a job and not having a job. When he had a job, the Walls were at least able to keep their heads above water. When he didn't, the family had hard times and sank quickly. With the Walls constantly moving around, they often had to sink or swim in the places they lived. They had to adapt quickly. In many places, Jeannette's father and sometimes mother would find a job, and things would be good for a time. However, once Jeannette's dad turned back to his alcoholism, things declined quickly. Her dad often lost his job, and they were on the move once again. Despite everything, Jeannette was always her dad's biggest supporter. Even after tossing her into the water and nearly drowning his daughter, Jeannette thinks that her dad is still doing good. "Dad kept telling me that he loved me, that he never would have let me drown, but you can't cling to the side your whole life, that one lesson every parent needs to teach a child is 'If you don't wanna sink, you better figure out how to swim.' What other reason, he asked, would possibly make him do this? There was no other way to explain it (p. 66)." Jeannette keeps reasoning that despite everything her dad has done, being a drunk, losing jobs, and putting the family in dangerous situations, that he loved them and that they should try and understand the reason he does the things he does. The water incident compares to the fire incident in that in both situations, Jeannette had to sink or swim. In both situations, Jeannette's faith in her dad remains unwavering. During the fire incident, Rex Walls steals Jeannette from the hospital. Right before they go, Jeannette asked, "Are you sure this is okay?" Her father replies, "You just trust your old man." Of course, after that, she does, and lets her dad run out of the hospital with her.
Throughout the entirety of the memoir, it is obvious that Jeannette lays a lot of trust in her father. There are several instances in which this is apparent. Rex Walls constantly is forcing the family to move around. Jeannette has never had a problem with this. She puts a lot of faith in her father. Her dad saved her and Brian from a burning shack in the desert (pp.61).
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