# XI: How I Swam the Hudson explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> “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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/xi-how-i-swam-the-hudson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters