Water

Water symbolizes to opposing forces in the novel: freedom and oppression. Coralie’s webbed hands give her the appearance of a mermaid so the Professor enforces a life spent swimming in various bodies of water on Coralie in order to exploit her unusual physical attribute. The Professor forces her to swim in the sea every night as a child as well as taking long ice baths. This prepares Coralie to become an exhibit in The Museum of Extraordinary Things when she starts performing as The Human Mermaid when she is 10 years old. Once Coralie reaches adulthood the performances become sexual in nature further emphasizing how trapped she is by her tank and the water. However, Coralie also finds freedom in the water and continues to swim in the Hudson even after she has escaped from the museum and the Professor has been killed. Coralie’s underwater...