Chapters 1 and 2 Summary and Analysis

The Water is Wide is the story of Pat Conroy's experiences teaching for two years on the island of Yamacraw off the South Carolina coast. Pat documents his challenges not only with the underserved children living there but also with the administrators hired to educate them and elevate their lives.

The book begins with the author, Pat Conroy, walking into the office of Dr. Henry Piedmont, the Superintendent of Schools in Beaufort, South Carolina. Pat is a school teacher and declares his interest in teaching on Yamacraw Island, an isolated island off the coast of South Carolina. Joining the Peace Corps had been Pat's plans at this point in his life, but he has not received any assignment from the organization yet and decides to teach the black children on Yamacraw instead. Dr. Piedmont is thrilled with Pat's decision...