Literary Devices in The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
The ship is a living, breathing ecosystem that Charlotte becomes very much a part of. When Charlotte goes down into top cargo to fetch her clothing, for example, she refers to it as being in the be...
Setting
1832: A Time of Change!Charlotte's narrative is set in 1832, a significant year for England. This is the year in which the Reform Act of 1832 was passed there (also known as The Representation of t...
Narrator Point of View
The novel is written retrospectively from an adult Charlotte's point of view. Because of this, we're privy to Charlotte's most intimate thoughts: her fears, her desires, and her prejudices. This me...
Genre
AdventureThe novel challenges assumptions about gender that we might make about adventure stories and who can or cannot be in them. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is about a girl, not a bo...
Tone
The tone of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is complex, to be sure. While we're always getting Charlotte's most private and intimate thoughts, the way in which those thoughts are delivered...
Writing Style
While you might think you're reading Charlotte's journal, do recall that the journal she kept on the Seahawk was burned by her father. Instead, as her "An Important Warning" tells us, the novel is...
What's Up With the Title?
Each and every word of the title is significant and relates, in its own way, to the themes in the book. Yes, every single one of the words. In the study of literature, every word can matter. Think...
What's Up With the Epigraph?
Instead of a quote or a poem, the novel's prefaced by "An Important Warning." This section is an introduction written by an adult Charlotte Doyle, who's reflecting back on the events of her childho...
Plot Analysis
Charlotte sets sail for America.Against her better judgment (and ours), Charlotte sets out on a journey to America aboard the Seahawk, a ship captained by the seemingly charming Andrew Jaggery. C...
Trivia
Did you know the Seahawk from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is mentioned in another of Avi's books? Check out The Man Who Was Poe for a cameo (source).Avi found inspiration for The True C...
Allusions
Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Story of a Bad Boy (Preface.1)Susan Coolidge, What Katy Did (Preface.1)The Bible (5.13, 6.55, 8.9, 8.22, 18.5, 18.80)