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The Sun
As a literary symbol, water is often connected with the idea of rebirth, renewal, and redemption, but in A Visit From the Goon Squad, this symbol is inverted, instead pointing to destruction, decay, and death. One of the primary images of water in the novel is the East River in New York City. The river is polluted and its banks are lined with trash. For those living in the New York City of the 2020’s, water is something to be feared. In the story “Pure Language,” the reader learns a water wall has been built to combat rising water levels. The most strongly symbolic moment of water in the novel occurs in the story “Out of Body.” At the end of a long night, Drew and Rob decide to swim in the East River. Symbolically, the water represents the polluted lives through which they are navigating, and the fact that Rob drowns during their swim solidifies the connection between water and destruction or death. A similar association appears in the story “You (Plural)”, as Jocelyn, in a moment of anger toward Lou, imagines drowning him into the pool. Water, rain, and steam also appear heavily in the story “Selling the General,” which focuses on the unethical PR moves of a genocidal dictator.
Interestingly, the absence of water is sometimes associated with redemption. Knowing water’s connection with death (particularly in her personal experience), it should come as no surprise that Sasha ends up moving to the desert. The desert, a place defined by its lack of water, becomes the place where she finds stability and some semblance of happiness.
Water Quotes in A Visit from the Goon Squad
The A Visit from the Goon Squad quotes below all refer to the symbol of Water. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4
Quotes
"Women are cunts," his father says. "That's why.”
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"They are not—" He can't make himself repeat the word.
"They are," Lou says tightly. "Pretty soon you'll know it for sure."
Rolph turns away from his father. There is nowhere to go, so he jumps into the sea and begins slowly paddling back toward shore. The sun is low, the water choppy and full of shadows. Rolph imagines sharks just under his feet, but he doesn't turn or look back.
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Chapter 10
Quotes
As you fail, knowing you're not supposed to panic—panicking will drain your strength—your mind pulls away as it does so easily…You slip through Sasha's open window, floating over the sill lined with artifacts from her travels: a white seashell, a small gold pagoda, a pair of red dice. Her harp in one corner with its small wood stool. She’s asleep in her narrow bed, her burned red hair dark against the sheets. You kneel beside her, breathing the familiar smell of Sasha's sleep, whispering into her ear some mix of I'm sorry and I believe in you and I'll always be near you, protecting you, and I will never leave you, I'll be curled around your heart for the rest of your life, until the water pressing my shoulders and chest crushes me awake and I hear Sasha screaming into my face: Fight! Fight! Fight!
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Get the entire Goon Squad LitChart as a printable PDF.
Water Symbol Timeline in A Visit from the Goon Squad
The timeline below shows where the symbol Water appears in A Visit from the Goon Squad. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: The Gold Cure
...on the World, which was in the World Trade Center. Bennie waits out a respectful pause, and then changes the subject back to the band. Bennie tries to rationalize the band’s...
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Chapter 6: X’s and O’s
...she divorced him. Bennie tells Scotty he worked hard for what he has. A strange pause ensues, during which Scotty grapples with the past and the loss of his friend. He...
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Chapter 8: Selling the General
...his short stature and sullied military uniform. He looks tired and grumpy. There is a pause in which no one, including The General, seems to know what to do.
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Chapter 11: Good-bye, My Love
...says she has had a hard time, though she won’t admit it. There is a pause, and then Sasha tells Ted she used to think she saw her father in China...
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Chapter 12: Great Rock and Roll Pauses
...describes Lincoln. He looks like his father, Drew, but is skinnier. He is obsessed with pauses in great rock and roll songs. Alison states that Lincoln knows more than grownups about...
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Lincoln loops the pause in each song so it sounds like it lasts for minutes. When Alison’s friends are...
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...following slide shows just their father’s response, telling Lincoln that what he says about the pause in “Fly Like an Eagle” is good to know.
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...He clamps them over her ears. The music stops, and Alison waits through a long pause for it to start again. After a minute, she asks if that is the end...
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...He agrees to let Lincoln play some music. Lincoln plays some music, and analyzes the pauses. Drew whispers to Sasha, asking if they should encourage Lincoln’s obsession, and whether it will...
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Drew tries to ask Lincoln why the pauses matter so much to him, but Lincoln continues analyzing different songs. Eventually, Drew yells at...
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...for them, that they are sleeping. Alison hears the silence in the desert like the pauses in Lincoln’s songs. She says the whole desert is a pause. Drew admits that he...
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...asks if he has ever heard of a band called the Frames that have a pause of more than a minute in one of their songs. Drew says Sasha used to...
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Chapter 13: Pure Language
...to become a star. Scotty had dared him to do it. There is a long pause, and then Scotty jumps to his feet and lunges for the door, trying to escape....
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