How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
But before I begin relating what happened, you must know something about me as I was in the year 1832- when these events transpired. At the time my name was Charlotte Doyle. And though I have kept the name, I am not – for reasons you will soon discover – the same Charlotte Doyle. (Preface.2)
Shakespeare once asked, "What's in a name?" Our protagonist weighs in on the issue by telling us that, though she still goes by the name of "Charlotte Doyle," time has fundamentally changed who she actually is. (She is writing retrospectively, many years after the original composition of her journal.) As an adult, Charlotte defines herself not by a simple title or by her family name, but by her life experiences.
Quote #2
Not even the same lowering mist I'd observed when I first came from my cabin could dampen my soaring spirits. Captain Jaggery was a brilliant sun and I, a Juno moon, basked in reflected glory. (6.2)
Charlotte imagines herself as a reflection of the captain; that is, she sees herself as the moon to his oh-so-glorious sun. Does this imagery suggest that Charlotte regards herself as merely a reflector for the captain's grandeur? Can Charlotte only see herself in relation to someone else in general?
Quote #3
This time I did not cry. I was too numb, too much in a state of shock. Instead, I simply stood immobile – rather like the moment when I'd first cast eyes upon the Seahawk – trying confusedly to think out what I could do.
I tried, desperately, to imagine what my father, even what my mother or Miss Weed, might want me to do, but I could find no answer. (12.38-12.39)
In the aftermath of Mr. Cranick's death, Charlotte finds herself with a lack of guidance. No one – not her father nor her mother nor boarding school mistress – can help her decide what action to take. She must now decide what to do all on her own. She must learn to think of herself as an independent person.
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?
Quote #7
I ran my fingers through my hair but the gesture only reminded me I'd hacked it short. For a brief moment I caught a distant vision of myself as I had been before the Seahawk, before this tumultuous voyage. Was it days or years that had passed since? (16.78)
How was Charlotte's hair important to who she was? How is it now just as important to who she has become?
Quote #8
"Miss Doyle," he asked, with what I could have sworn was a slight smile about his lips, "do you desire to withdraw your claim to being a member of this crew? That is to say, do you wish to hide behind your father's name, and thus avoid judgment by these men?" (18.24)
The question of Charlotte's newfound independence starts to get tricky once she finds herself in Captain Jaggery's courtroom. The captain asks if Charlotte wishes to give up her place on the crew and instead use her father's name for protection. She, of course, says no. Why is it dangerous, though, that Charlotte is standing all by herself? She's innocent, right? Shouldn't that be enough? Or does justice sometimes depend not on what you do, but on who you are?
Quote #9
With a start – for it is a curious fact that I had not truly considered my family for a time – I began to contemplate an accounting to them of all that had happened – if I lived. With great vividness I pictured myself relating my adventure, while they, grouped about, listened in rapt, adoring attention, astonished yet proud of me. At the mere anticipation, my heart swelled with pride.
I was still basking in these dreams when I heard the sounds of someone approaching me. (20.34-35)
On the eve of the second mutiny, Charlotte imagines that her family will appreciate her adventures and will applaud her for the courageous person she has become over the past couple of months. She even sees herself as the object of their admiration. Note that the word "dreams" appears in this description. Is Charlotte being far too idealistic about how her family will respond to who she has become?
Quote #10
Do you remember, Charlotte, what I first told you when you came aboard? That you, a girl, and I, an old black man, were unique to the sea?
"Yes."
"The greater fact is," he said, "I am unique everywhere."
"And I?"
"Who can say now?" he answered. "I can only tell you this, Charlotte. A sailor chooses the wind that takes the ship from a safe port. Ah, yes, but once you're aboard, as you have seen, winds have a mind of their own. Be careful, Charlotte, careful of the wind you choose." (22.21-22.25)
Zachariah has always drawn parallels between Charlotte and himself; however, here he hints that there are also differences. While both are outcasts, Zachariah suggests that this is perhaps more so the case for him. What exactly does Zachariah mean by this? How is his identity different from Charlotte's? And why are both connected with the sea?
Quote #11
Boldly now, I walked up the gangplank.
"Who is that?" came a challenge.
I said nothing.
"Who is that?" came the demand again. Now I was certain of the voice.
"Zachariah?" I called, my voice choked.
Charlotte!
"I've decided to come home." (22.198-204)
At the end of the book, Charlotte is very literally asked to identify herself. (A voice calls out, "Who is that?") What does she answer? Why? Is this exchange a metaphor for the way in which Charlotte has been able to figure out who she is through a connection she has made with someone else? How has Zachariah helped her find herself?