Apeirogon

Water is one of the central motifs throughout the novel and one that helps to explicate the central theme of the interconnection of everything. Water, of course, is a necessary element for survival for all living things. Water is an important resource for the West Bank region because of its scarcity, particularly for the Palestinians and the poor. McCann notes how many must take extreme measures to save and reuse the water they do have access to. The major water source is the River Jordan, which is slowed to a trickle in many spots by human irrigation and intervention.

Water is the lifeblood of the area and as such it is a fraught resource that causes issues between groups of people. McCann threads this motif throughout the story by underlining its importance through several anecdotes and stories. For example, Israeli soldiers shoot at water tanks used by Palestinians for target practice. The lower they hit (which means the more water is drained out) the better marksman they are. Sometimes Palestinians react in kind to this game. There is also the story of the explorer Christopher Costigin, who ventures to the Dead Sea in the 1830’s. Through numerous hardships, he makes it there, but with few supplies left he is forced to drink the seawater, which causes his death.