Character Sketch of William 'O' Douglas ('Deep Water' by William Douglas))

Deep Water is an autobiography of William 'O' Douglas where the story is entirely based on William Douglas's childhood misadventure and his toil experience, how he learns swimming. Douglas is quite excited to learn swimming when he is at ten or eleven years old. And suddenly one day an unexpected ‘misadventure’ happens with him.

A big bruiser boy throws him into the Y.M.C.A swimming pool where he has nearly died due to sinking into the deep of the pool. Though he is very much scared but he doesn't lose his wit and plans that he would make a big jump when his feet would touch the bottom of the pool,thus he would come to the surface of the water to the shore but unfortunately his plane fails. Douglas then grows panicky and starts suffocating with heavy breath and feels like dead hung in the middle of the water paralyzed. Though, he tries many times to come up on the surface of the water but every time his effort goes in vain. When his every effort goes in vain he leaves hope to be saved but somehow, someone suddenly watches him sinking and saves Douglas. Douglas gets very much curious of swimming and he wants to be a good swimmer but now he is much scared of going alone into the water. Many of Douglas dreams destroy due to fear of water like swimming, boating, fishing and many others. But after a few years Douglas again desires to learn swimming with the help of an instructor (trainer) who could teach him swimming five days in a week an hour every day. This practice keeps on approx six months with struggle and hard training and after all Douglas becomes a good swimmer. He swims across many lakes and water bodies without any fear with his best skill ever. He overcomes fear of water forever.