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Short Fiction · Chapter

XI: How I Swam the Hudson explained

The narrator recounts his journey back to Yale after the holidays, which involves crossing the Hudson River.

What happens

The narrator recounts his journey back to Yale after the holidays, which involves crossing the Hudson River. He receives misguided advice from a traffic policeman (later revealed to be A. D. Lasker, the future boat inventor) and a shoe lace vendor, leading him on a long walk to Troy. After learning from a farmer that 'Ford' means a wading place, he attempts to swim across the river, encouraged by Whiteman's orchestra. He then decides to enter Princeton instead, where he joins the hockey team. The team's season starts poorly due to a lack of a puck and ice, and they lose their first game by default.

Themes in this chapter

  • Satire of Media and Business

    The chapter satirizes the blind faith in authority figures and the absurdity of following advice without question, as seen with the traffic policeman and the shoe lace vendor.

  • Disillusionment and Failure

    The narrator's journey is marked by a series of failures and disappointments, from the impossible river crossing to the disastrous hockey season, highlighting a sense of futility.

Characters to notice

  • Mr. Grant

    The narrator, who is returning to Yale and later decides to enter Princeton.

  • Bert

    The narrator's hockey teammate at Princeton, also known as Carson Hull.

Key passages

  • ““Take the Desbrosses Street ferry,” he advised.”

    The policeman suggested using the ferry at Desbrosses Street.

    The advice is given, but it is later revealed to be useless as no boats exist.

  • ““Mon, mon! (He was a Scotchman) Ye are long before ze day of ze automobile. When your New York friend said ‘Ford,’ he meant ‘a place in a river where it may be crossed by wading.’ ””

    The farmer explains that the word 'Ford' refers to a shallow part of a river that can be crossed on foot, not an automobile.

    This corrects the narrator's misunderstanding and provides the key to his crossing.

  • ““What Princeton can do, so can Yale!” I replied, and sang two stanzas of the Yale song⁠—“ Beulah, Beulah! ””

    The narrator declares that Yale is as capable as Princeton and sings a Yale song to show his spirit.

    This shows the competitive spirit between the two universities.

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