Florence Adler Swims Forever

Esther is the matriarch of the family. She is Florence’s and Fannie’s mother and Joseph’s wife. She is also the mastermind behind the plan to keep the news of Florence’s death from Fannie to protect Fannie’s baby.

Esther is a dutiful wife and mother who does the emotional labor within the family, serving as the mediator between her daughters and the support for her husband. Her character arc takes her from grief over the loss of her daughter, through jealousy of Inez and resentment of Anna, and finally to relief from the burden of all secrets. In confronting her husband about his past, she demonstrates her strength independent of her roles as a wife and mother, though his response assures her of both by reaffirming Joseph’s love for her and Florence.

Esther is consistently graceful in the way that she navigates adversity. Despite the traumas she bears, she maintains her composure and remains gracious, if not always polite, to Anna (whom she resents) and Isaac (who she feels is a burden on her remaining daughter, Fannie). Details about her past underscore her strength of character: She comes from a middle-class American Jewish family but built the Adler Bakery business with her poor immigrant husband from the ground up.

Joseph is the patriarch of the family. He is Esther’s husband and Fannie’s and Florence’s father. He is a Hungarian Jewish immigrant who arrived in the US when he was a young man. Before this, he was engaged to Inez, Anna’s mother, whom he grew up with. In the United States he worked as a waiter at a hotel until he met Esther. They married within a year of meeting and started a bakery, which 20 years later has become a successful factory able to withstand the turbulence of the Great Depression. Joseph is a religious and loving man who is willing to adapt as long as adaptation means his children’s and family’s happiness. He teaches Florence to swim—a sign of his willingness to flout strict gender roles—and supports her dream of swimming the English Channel. He also suggests that Fannie find fulfillment in work, and he ultimately offers to pay Isaac to leave for the benefit of the family.

Joseph is haunted by his abandonment of Inez for Esther and therefore is determined to help Anna and her parents. His refusal to discuss this shame with Esther reflects a broader tendency to seek distraction from his feelings (e.g., in work), but he overcomes his fears by the end of the novel. The most significant sign of his growth is entering the hospital to support Fannie as she approaches labor. He has not been in a hospital since serving as an ambulance driver during WWI, so his entry into the hospital signals his unconditional support of his daughter. From a man who tries to maintain a safe world for his family through structure, he becomes a man who goes off script to support his family.

Isaac is Fannie’s husband and Gussie’s father. He is the son of poor Russian Jewish immigrants: failed farmers living in the small Jewish town of Alliance, 40 miles inland from Atlantic City. Dissatisfied with his parents’ choices, Isaac tried to succeed as a binder boy, selling undeveloped plots of swampland in Florida, but was left penniless when the bubble popped. Upon his return to New Jersey, he fell in love with Fannie, who worked at the Adlers’ bakery at the time. Isaac now has a job at the bakery himself, but he resents being dependent on Joseph, particularly after a bad investment forces him to seek a loan from Joseph. Moreover, Isaac blames himself for the premature birth and subsequent death of his son, Hyram. This resentment and insecurity ultimately drive Isaac away from his wife and daughter. Despite his frequently selfish behavior, Isaac is also a tragic character because he is surrounded by love and help that he is unable and unwilling to accept.

Fannie is Florence’s older sister, Isaac’s wife, and Gussie’s mother. The secret of Florence’s death is kept for her benefit because Esther is afraid that the shock of the news will lead to another premature birth. One year after the loss of her infant son, Hyram, due to premature birth, Fannie is six months pregnant with a baby girl. She is deeply in love with Isaac and feels distant from Florence. She is seven years older than Florence, and they grew further apart after Fannie married Isaac and had Gussie. Throughout the novel, Florence is bed-ridden at the hospital and worries about Florence’s absence, which she attributes to a fight about whether Florence could postpone her trip for Fannie’s delivery. She is also worried about her husband’s distance, but she is resigned to her situation because she loves Isaac and does not see other options. At the end of the novel she gives birth to Ruby, a healthy and beautiful baby girl whose arrival symbolizes a new beginning for Fannie; Joseph, for example, mentions finding Fannie a job, implying that she will become more independent and fulfilled now that Isaac has left.

Stuart is the only main character who is not a part of the Adler family or Jewish. He was in love with Florence and was her swim coach. His father owns The Covington, a wealthy hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk that only serves wealthy white people and is openly antisemitic and racist. Stuart does not agree with his father’s views and does not want to be associated with the hotel. Instead, he supports himself as a lifeguard and swim coach. He is instrumental in helping the Adlers keep Florence’s death a secret. He also eventually falls in love with Anna as he teaches her how to swim. By the end of the novel, he agrees to work for his father and take over the business in exchange for $5,000, which he uses to open a trust for Anna’s parents. He also proposes to Anna. Throughout the novel, Stuart is kind, generous, principled, and thoughtful in his support of the Adler family.