In “Average Waves in Unprotected Waters” by Anne Tyler, readers follow Bet Blevins and her mentally disabled son, Arnold, during the 1970’s. The two were on a journey to a mental institution where Arnold would be living. Anne Tyler shows the battle of a single mother trying to raise a disabled child and struggling to do so. The point of view of the story is third person limited, and mainly focuses on Bet’s insecurity about parenting, her struggles to continue raising Arnold, and the signs that she
abilities. Even though today’s world fully embraces and accepts kids with mental disabilities, it was not always like that. Back then, they did not have the best care, support, and guidance for mentally handicapped children. In the story, Average Waves in Unprotected Waters, by Anne Tyler, it demonstrates the harsh reality of a single mother, with a child who has autism, in the mid-1970’s. Bet, the mother, realize her son named Arnold was getting to hard to handle. She struggling financially and had to