The Role of Ambiguity in The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh (2019)

The Role of Ambiguity in The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh (2019)

Expanding the Roles:
Sophie Mackintosh’s The Water Cure is a dystopian novel set in a world where women are isolated from the outside world, subjected to bizarre and painful “treatments” to purify them. The novel explores themes of gender, power, and control, as well as the limits of human endurance. For literature students, The Water Cure offers a rich exploration of dystopian literature and the use of ambiguity to explore complex social issues.

• Gender and Power Dynamics:
  At its core, The Water Cure explores the relationships between women and the control they face in a patriarchal society. Students can analyze how Mackintosh uses dystopian elements to critique societal gender roles and the ways in which power dynamics are enforced, especially when women’s bodies are controlled.

• Ambiguity and the Blurring of Reality:
  The novel is shrouded in ambiguity, especially with its unreliable narrative structure and the unclear nature of the world the characters inhabit. This allows students to examine how authors use ambiguity to provoke thought, engage readers with complex moral dilemmas, and question the certainty of reality.

What We Learn:
In The Water Cure, students can explore how ambiguity in narrative structure and themes allows authors to challenge readers’ perceptions and confront uncomfortable questions about power, gender, and control. The novel provides a stark warning about the dangers of societal manipulation and the repression of female autonomy.