The Water Dancer

Conduction is the ability to fold time and space to transport a person from one geographic location to another using a bridge constructed of memories, feelings, and stories. Conduction is thus an important figure for the ability of memory and acts of imagination to aid African Americans in reconnecting with their pasts.

Conduction appears in the first chapter of the novel with the accident that kills Maynard. While Hiram is unaware that water, memories, and feelings are needed to control Conduction, he is aware that his vision of a woman water-dancing is powerful and overwhelming. Because he lacks true comprehension of the significance of the visions he sees, Hiram does not exercise control over Conduction at this point. Hiram’s lack of control is analogous to the person who fails to live authentically because he or she lacks knowledge of his or her true history.

The other symbolic element of Conduction is the role of storytelling. Storytelling is an important means of transmitting history and values, particularly in oral cultures such as the African cultures. Thus, Hiram’s ability to use his power is only as strong as his ability to use his imagination. The implication seems to be that creativity and the ability to create new myths and stories are needed for African Americans to be made whole after the trauma of slavery.