1. Short Story by Kari Strutt
Touching Bottom
Short Story by Kari Strutt

2. Initial Opinions
Put the following statements in the order you agree with them.
Number 1 is the one you most agree with.
Number 5 is the one you least agree with.

3. Order from 1 to 5:
a) The husband in this story was a negligent father and husband.
b) The husband in this story was a good father, just not a good husband.
c) The husband in this story was a good father and a good husband, we just need to understand “how it works” in LA.
d) There is not enough information in the story to conclude whether the husband had any role in his wife and son’s incident in the water.
e) It was the husband’s fault that the narrator and Ian almost drowned.

4. Significance of the Title
Of course we can see the significance of the title in the incident in the water, when the narrator touches bottom, but can you link the title to any other event, character, or theme in the story?

5. Story beginning
The story begins with a retelling of some of the narrator’s memories. Is this an effective opening for a short story? Why or why not?

6. Passage…
Look for the passages appearing in italics. What is different about these passages, and what functions, and what functions do they serve.

7. Inferring (Reading b/t the lines)
There is some information in this story that lead me to believe that the narrator is much younger than her husband. Can you find some of the lines in this story that have led me to this inference? Can you infer any other information?

8. Conflict (Think/Pair/Share)
What are all the conflicts present in this story?
If you had to choose one of these as the main conflict, which would you choose and why?

9. Effectiveness…
This story is told in first person. In your opinion, would this story have been as effective if it were told in third-person narration? Explain.

10. Theme/Message Can you suggest a theme or message of this short story?
Why would the author wish to share this story with readers?

11. Power of Words
. Why is this story included in a unit on the power of words? Explain in your journal.

12. Example
The narrator is innocent
Quotes: ‘My Dad told me not to marry him. He said, “His mid-life crisis will pass soon enough and you’ll be stuck in California, like a fish out of water.”
Or “He came to Canada on business, to the art gallery where I worked, and swept me away to Los Angeles on a blue wave of charm.”

13. Connecting to text…
The narrator of this story has some qualities (see lists from previous activity) which allow her to resolve conflicts she encounters through out this story. In a brief piece of personal writing, tell about a time when you needed the same qualities yourself.