The Great Trouble

Throughout The Great Trouble, water pumps act as crucial tools around which geographic spaces and communities are oriented. The most significant of these is the Broad Street water pump, which leads to the cholera epidemic when it becomes contaminated by sewage. Despite the hidden danger that it represents, the pump provides a social nexus for the residents of Golden Square, as is demonstrated when Eel meets Florrie, Mrs. Lewis, Gus, and Annie Ribbons there even before the outbreak of cholera becomes widely known. Notably, Eel stops by the water pump even though he does not drink from that pump, indicating that his visit is prompted more by community than by necessity.

As the novel continues, the water pumps become points of potential danger, given Dr. Snow’s theory that cholera is water-borne. Florrie and Eel diligently mark each water pump on their map of the Broad Street area so that Eel and Dr. Snow can later chart the pumps’ positions relative to the deaths sweeping the area. When the Broad Street water pump handle is removed, this decision becomes a symbol of triumph despite Dr. Snow’s subsequent assertion that the epidemic might have waned somewhat even if the pump handle had not been removed.