William Character Analysis in The Weight of Water

William is an eighth-grade student at Kasienka’s school who develops a romantic interest in Kasienka. A member of the school swim team, he starts to watch her swimming laps at the pool with intense focus. They have multiple such run-ins, but Kasienka feels nervous and uncomfortable with him watching her and mostly avoids him. After William approaches her and encourages her to try out for the swim team, things start to warm up between them. They meet at the pool and hold hands, but the romance goes sideways when Clair, Kasienka’s bully who seems to have a crush on William, sees them floating together and spreads a rumor implying that they were having sex in the pool. After this, Kasienka briefly avoids William again. Eventually, however, they kiss—once very awkwardly, and then again more successfully. After their awkward kiss, Kasienka sees that the ever-cool and well-liked William is nervous and embarrassed, too. Kasienka and William start to date, and they both help each other with their weaknesses and encourage each other to be better people. As they open up to each other more and more, William urges Kasienka to stand up to Clair, which she finally does after the London swim meet.

William Quotes in The Weight of Water

The The Weight of Water quotes below are all either spoken by William or refer to William. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

In the changing room
I check myself in the mirror.
I want to be sure
I look normal.

I do not:
I am sharp cornered,
Like a piece of Swedish
Self-assembly furniture
Gone wrong.

I am all lines,
No curves.

My fingers and toes are too long.
My noise is pointy, my bottom flat.

When did this happen?

Related Characters: Kasienka (speaker), Mama, William, Clair

Page Number and Citation: 85

Explanation and Analysis:

William leads me to a corner of the playground.
I pat down my hair and flatten out my skirt
Expecting to be kissed.

But when we get there it’s crowded
And smoky and William doesn’t kiss me.
He doesn’t move any closer at all.

Marie and Clair are there.
They run their hands through their hair,
Reminding me I’m missing something.

William pulls a pack of cigarettes from
His blazer pocket and holds it out to me.
I’ve no choice with the girls gazing and grinning.

When I inhale it’s like breathing in dirt,
The kind Mama shakes out of the rug.

William smiles, takes the cigarette from me,
Inhales, swallows, licks his lips.
Then he blows the smoke out through his nose
Like a shaman, and I am bewitched.

When I looked at William
I saw a swimmer.
Now I see a smoker.
And it doesn’t matter.

Related Characters: Kasienka (speaker), William, Clair, Mama

Page Number and Citation: 99

Explanation and Analysis:

One Kasienka is Mama’s girl—
The Kasienka who chews quietly
And sleeps with a teddy bear in her arms.
She is muted and hidden and
Wants nothing more than to run to Tata—
To form a real family again.

Another Kasienka is Tata’s pilgrim,
The tight-lipped teenage Kasienka.
She is frightening and moody.

She is also William’s Cassie,
Shy eyed and broad backed—
A swimmer, but a girl before anything else:
A girlfriend with a mouth and breasts.

Cassie belongs to Clair too,
She smells of cabbage and fear.

[…]

If only I knew Kasienka’s Kasienka […]

Related Characters: Kasienka (speaker), William, Mama, Clair, Tata

Page Number and Citation: 158-159

Explanation and Analysis:

William Character Timeline in The Weight of Water

The timeline below shows where the character William appears in The Weight of Water. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

William. The eighth-grade boy from the swimming pool introduces himself as William. He compliments Kasienka on... (full context)

...to find him. She doesn’t want to tarnish Mama’s hope. Kasienka doesn’t tell Mama about William at all. (full context)

...has to try hard to follow along with the class. At an assembly, Kasienka sees William, and he nods at her. She tries not to look at him. (full context)

...the other students win. Mama attends the ceremony and looks surprised that Kasienka wins nothing. William wins a swimming medal and passes it to Kasienka to touch. Clair asks Kasienka if... (full context)

Not Alone. William approaches Kasienka in the cafeteria and sits next to her. His friends watch from a... (full context)

Thursday. Kasienka goes to meet William at the pool on Thursday. In the changing room, she looks at herself and examines... (full context)

What William Says. William tells Kasienka that he missed their Thursday meeting because he had a stomach... (full context)

Smokers’ Corner. William brings Kasienka to a part of the schoolyard where kids smoke. Marie and Clair are... (full context)

...Musical. Kasienka has never kissed anyone before, and she worries about what to do if William kisses her. She imagines it might be like playing a wind instrument, but she feels... (full context)

Floating. Kasienka and William meet at the swimming pool. They float on their backs in the middle of the... (full context)

...at the / swimming pool?! / She’s nasty!” Humiliated, Kasienka is afraid to talk to William at lunch. All of the girls in her grade glare at her. William asks Kasienka... (full context)

...stories from his Kenyan history and culture, and Kasienka tells him about her feelings for William. She confesses that she’s afraid of finding Tata and discovering that he wants nothing to... (full context)

Lifesaver. Kasienka dreams that William rescues her from the deep end of the pool. In the dream, he pulls her... (full context)

Higher. Kasienka and William sit on the swings at the park. William offers her a cigarette, but this time,... (full context)

Dear William. Kasienka thinks that while she wouldn’t ask William to do something romantic for her, she... (full context)

First Kiss. William leans in for a kiss and Kasienka, unsure of what to do, opens her mouth... (full context)

Gummy Bears. William tries to kiss Kasienka again. This time, everything goes smoothly. He puts his tongue in... (full context)

Partners. William finds it cute when Kasienka mispronounces words in English, and Kasienka finds it cute when... (full context)

...Large W. Kasienka reflects on what love means, ultimately concluding: “Love is… / Ah. / William.” (full context)

Kenilworth Castle. On a school trip to Warwick Castle, Kasienka and William agree that the castle is too well-preserved and shiny, like a theme park. Together, they... (full context)

...obedient, and eager to reunite with Tata; to Tata, she is irritable and withholding; to William, she is a swimmer but “a girl before anything else”; and to Clair, she is... (full context)

In Mama’s Absence. Kasienka attends a birthday party for William’s grandmother at his house. William’s father barbecues, music plays over speakers, and there’s a bouncy... (full context)

Maybe I Should Not. Kasienka wonders if she should feel guilty about her relationship with William, but with Mama still trying not to look at her, she doesn’t. (full context)

Confidence. Kasienka tells William about Clair’s bullying. He encourages her to take a stand against Clair but doesn’t offer... (full context)

Rebellion. William encourages Kasienka to go to the London swim meet despite Mama’s refusal to sign the... (full context)

...meet, the popular kids sit in the back. Clair and her friends sit there, while William sits in the middle and Kasienka sits in the front. When Clair steps onto the... (full context)

...the crowd. The people look like ghosts under the harsh lights. She sees Tata and William in the stands just before the race begins. (full context)

Reunion. Kasienka sits on the steps outside of the apartment building, waiting for William. Suddenly, Kanoro arrives. Kasienka hugs him, and Mama runs downstairs to greet him, too. As... (full context)

The Weight of Water

William Character Analysis

William Quotes in The Weight of Water

Part 1 Quotes

Part 2 Quotes

William Character Timeline in The Weight of Water