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...

The Seahawk's figurehead is the carving of a bird. It's first described as "an angry, avenging angel" (1.60). Mr. Cranick's tale is one of revenge, to be sure, but what other injustices are also be...

The dirk (a knife) appears early on in Charlotte's voyage, and is given to her by Zachariah (2.93). When she first encounters the weapon, she's "horrified" (2.93); however, she gradually learns to...

The sea is a natural vehicle for force, change, and motion. We think the novel wants you to see that even in the natural world, things change. The sea moves, it upsets things, and it's both dangero...

The round-robin is the circle in which the men sign their names before they're going to start a mutiny. They sign it that way so no one person can be held responsible. Here's Captain Jaggery's take...

The storm that strikes the boat is a great force of nature: a tempest of wind and waves that washes over the Seahawk and rips her (almost) to shreds (Chapter 15). The storm is part of the natural w...

A new set of miniature sailor's clothes is given to Charlotte by Zachariah (8.24). These are in great contrast to the clothes she formerly wore on the boat, or liked to don in general. Charlotte's...