The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Identity Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Having fully committed myself, I was overwhelmed by my audacity. The masts had always seemed tall, of course, but never so tall as they did at that moment. (13.52)

As Charlotte begins her climb to the top of the royal yard, she seems almost not to know herself or who she is. Her actions are shocking – even to her. Would the Charlotte at the beginning of the voyage have attempted to climb the ship's masts? How has she changed over the first part of the book?

Quote #5

Finally, when I'd reached close to the very end, Barlow stepped forward, beaming, his arms uplifted.

"Jump!" he called. "Jump!"

But now, determined to do it all myself, I shook my head. Indeed, in the end I dropped down on my own two India-rubber legs – and tumbled to the deck. (13.102-13.103)

Charlotte wants to earn respect all on her own and doesn't want help from anyone else. To prove she's up the challenge of joining the crew, she jumps down from the mast and lands on her own two feet. (Look who's turning into Miss Independent!) How does Charlotte's relationship with the crew differ from her relationship with the captain? How does joining a group (the crew) allow her to become an individual?

Quote #6

My hair, uncombed for days, blew free in the salty air. My face, dark with weather, was creased with smile. I was squinting westward into the swollen face of a blood-red sun, which cast a shimmering golden road upon the sea; from where I perched it seemed we were sailing on that road in a dream. And there I was, joyous, new-made, liberated from a prison I'd though was my proper place! (14.32)

Charlotte has undergone both an internal and external transformation. That is, she both looks differently, and she feels differently. Despite her tangled hair and sunburned face, Charlotte sees herself as a "new-made" person and is filled with joy. Notice that the passage has the feeling of a "dream," a word Charlotte herself uses. Do you think the way Charlotte views herself is realistic? Is there maybe an element of fantasy to this description? If so, why?