The mother

Outer characterisation

"The Sea in Me" by Krishan Coupland contains few references to the outer characterisation of the narrator's mother. The story suggests that she is a single mother, as the narrator’s father seems to have been absent for a long time (ll. 143-144).

We learn that the mother “goes all quiet and pink and smiley” (l. 37) when her daughter is recognised at the pool, which suggests that the attention flatters her and makes her blush.

Inner characterisation

The narrator’s mother enjoys the attention that she is getting as a result of her daughter being well-known. This is emphasised when the narrator states that her mother always gives interviews in her place and by how she always mentions she had a water birth, implying this determined her daughter’s talent at swimming (ll. 88-92).

She keeps every trophy her daugh...