How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The dockside was deserted and growing darker. I felt like taking myself up the gangplank in search of Mr. Grummage. But, alas, my good manners prevailed. I remained where I was, standing in a dream-like state, thinking I know not what. (1.61)
As the novel begins, there's a tension between what Charlotte wants to do and what she actually does. Charlotte would like to go find Mr. Grummage, but she's held back by what she thinks is proper. Instead of making her own decisions, she lets society decide for her. Plus, she's kind of just standing around, spacing out. (Earth to Charlotte! Wake up!)
Quote #2
"But Mr. Grummage, sir," I asked in dismay, "what shall I do?"
"Do?" Miss Doyle, your father left orders that you were to travel on this ship at this time. I've very specific, written orders in that regard. He left no money to arrange otherwise. As for myself, he said, "I'm off for Scotland tonight on pressing business." (1.70-1.71)
Though Charlotte has a bad feeling about the journey, Mr. Grummage convinces her that she has no choice but to follow the orders of her absent father. As Grummage is the only authority figure in sight, Charlotte will be doing just that. Also interesting are Grummage's motivations: he seems to care much more about business than about Charlotte's personal welfare, wouldn't you say? (Remind you of anyone else? Perhaps the captain and his desire for profit at all costs?)
Quote #3
Thus I forced myself to believe that I had acted the part of a foolish schoolgirl too apt to make the worst of strange surroundings. And so I found a way to set aside my worries and fears. (7.25)
After Charlotte sees the grinning nut head in the top cargo, she realizes there must be someone else on board; however, she actively chooses not trust her own judgment. Does she really have that little faith in herself, at this point? And if so, why might that be?
Quote #4
"Why the devil did you not tell me before?" he demanded
"I didn't trust my own senses, sir." (9.119-9.120)
Charlotte (again!) chooses not to believe in her ability to assess a situation. How does her lack of confidence keep her from making important decisions?
Quote #5
"Captain Jaggery!" I cried out suddenly, as much surprised as anyone that I was doing so.
The captain, startled, turned to look at me.
"Please, sir," I pleaded. "You mustn't."
For a moment the captain said nothing. His face had become very white. "Why mustn't I?" he asked.
"It's... it's not... fair," I stammered. (11.43-11.47)
Charlotte decides to speak up at last and intervene in the horror that's unfolding before her eyes. But why now?
Quote #6
Aside from reliving the fearsome events, I was trying desperately to decide what to do. (12.4)
At the end of Part I, we see Charlotte, as always, trying to decide what to do. However, after the encounter on the deck with the captain and the whip, she can no linger sit idly by. She must act.
Quote #7
But when I continued to stand there – unmoving, making no response – he suddenly shouted, "Did you not hear me? Get to your cabin!"
"I won't," I blurted out. "I'm no longer a passenger. I'm with them." So saying, I stepped back until I sensed the men around me. (14.8-14.9)
Charlotte chooses to become one of the crew and, in doing so, defies the direct orders of Captain Jaggery. Why doesn't he stop her? How are her decisions coming to bear on how others perceive her?
Quote #8
He turned to the crew. "Does anyone wish to make a statement on this girl's behalf?"
No one spoke.
"Miss Doyle," he said, "do you wish to say anything?"
"My father-"
"Miss Doyle," the captain cried out, "when we began I offered you the opportunity of claiming the protection of your father. You refused it then!"
Miserable, I could only bow my head.
He turned to the crew. "Does anyone wish to make a statement on this girl's behalf?"
No one spoke.
"Miss Doyle," he said. "Do you wish to say anything?"
Miserable, I could only shake my head. (18.206-18.215)
Though Charlotte is innocent, she finds it impossible to speak during Captain Jaggery's prosecution. The courtroom paralyzes Charlotte, as it does the crew. Why does no one raise his voice? What is it about the courtroom that robs Charlotte and the men of their ability to act?
Quote #9
"Miss Doyle," he said, "if you want to save your life you will tell me. I am trying to help you, but I cannot manage it without your thoughts. You have some choices, Miss Doyle. Shall I make them clear? Do you prefer to dangle from a yardarm by your neck? Or do you wish to walk free? What do you want, Miss Doyle?"
"To live."
He sighed. "Then speak." (19.41-19.43)
Charlotte's choices have now become a matter of life and death. In this situation, to speak is to live. To be silent is to be dead. Does speaking become a kind of agency for Charlotte? (To have "agency" means to have the capacity to act. It's a cool, smart word. Use it.)
Quote #10
"What if I don't accept any of them?"
He hesitated. "Miss Doyle, I thought I made it clear. There are no other choices."
"You're wrong," I said. And so saying, I turned and rushed out of his cabin, along the steerage and into the waist of the ship. (21.50-21.52)
The captain gives Charlotte three choices: she can be disgraced, she can beg for mercy, or she can be hanged. (Hm, how about none of the above?) Not surprisingly, Charlotte rejects all of these options and decides, instead, to go with a choice all her own. Is it significant that she doesn't take any of the paths offered to her by the captain? Are you impressed that she's finally making a decision all on her own? (We sure are.) And how does this relate to the choice Charlotte makes at the end of the book?
Quote #11
Something Zachariah told me filled my mind and excited my heart: "A sailor," he said, "chooses the wind that takes the ship from safe port... but winds have a mind of their own." (22.206)
Charlotte has made her final and most significant decision: she's leaving her family and rejoining the crew on the Seahawk. We might see the choice as a very positive one (at long last, she's doing just what she wants to do!), but what does Zachariah's mention of the wind mean? Can Charlotte ever completely control her own destiny?