The themes of alienation, acceptance, and forgiving interested me the most in the story. Qfwfq loves living on land, as does the rest of his family. Their fins were capable of rotating to be used as paws on terrestrial land. Eventually, the water period was coming to an end because so many creatures decided to make the big move. One fish, however, decided to stay in the lagoon. It was Qfwfq’s great uncle, N’ba N’ga. Every other member of their family had moved to land excluding him, which alienated him from the alternate world everyone else had moved to. Once a year, Qfwfq’s family would travel down to the lagoon to pay great uncle N’ba N’ga a visit. He would greet them rudely at first, but eventually would warm up and welcome them back. Every year, one family member would attempt to convince him to move to the main land and out of the water. Immediately, he would shut down their proposition and give them reasons why the water is better. Although great uncle N’ba N’ga was separated from his family and most other modern life, he enjoyed being down their alone. In addition, his family still accepted him, and appreciated his dedication to the sea. Qfwfq’s fiancé, Lii, and her family were all practically born and raised on terrestrial land. He loves her, but was initially scared to introduce her to great uncle N’ba N’ga because he lived in the sea. When he eventually does, she is not frightened, offended, or embarrassed at all. In fact, she is deeply curious and intrigued. Ultimately, she asks to spend more time with great uncle N’ba N’ga, a request that confuses Qfwfq. Great uncle N’ba N’ga teaches her how to breathe under water and eventually, Lii leaves Qfwfq and goes to live with him in the sea, away from her family and everyone she cares about. Qfwfq is devastated, but forgives her. I think an issue that is trying to be addressed in the story is one of peer pressure. Qfwfq and his family try to pressure great uncle N’ba N’ga into moving to dry land with everyone else. He believes he does not have to do what everyone else is doing, and that he is happy right where he is. Great uncle N’ba N’ga is able to stand up for himself and at the end of the day, he is still immensely respected by his family. Another contemporary issue that is brought up is young women marrying older men with something to offer. In this case, great uncle N’ba N’ga offers a history and education of the sea that no one else would be able to provide to Lii. He fascinates her because of his experience and knowledge. She leaves her perfectly kind, suitable fiancé for someone better. This is a common occurrence we see in the media every day. I was very surprised that Lii ended up leaving to go back to the sea and live with great uncle N’ba N’ga. Qfwfq seemed to really love her and if he didn’t, he would never have introduced her to great uncle N’ba N’ga. I don’t think that is something Lii ever realized about him.