Jannette M. Hernández CaloM00364314EDUC 3187Prof. Czarina Rodríguez

Book Talk

The Cay by Theodore Taylor

The year is 1942; Germany has already initiated its plan for the creation of

an empire, bringing with it one of the most devastating conflicts in human

history, World War II. It involved a vast majority of nations and in Theodore

Taylor’s book “The Cay”, Curacao is no exception.

“The Cay” presents the story of 11 year old boy Phillip Enright Jr., who lives

in Willemstad,Curacao with his American family, after his father accepts a

job at a refinery to help increase the production of aviation gas. On a

February night in 1942, the refinery is attacked by German submarines

bringing the conflict to the Caribbean island. As the months pass by,

Phillip’s mother gets more anxious about the situation and wants to leave

the island to go back to Virginia. Phillips father can’t leave, but agrees to

their departure. Finally in early April, Phillip and his mother are ready to

leave Curacao on a small ship called the S.S. Hato. During their journey

the ship gets torpedoed by the Germans and as they are trying to abandon

the ship he gets hit in the head and gets unconscious, thus getting

separated from his mother. When Phillip wakes up he finds out he has

been rescued by an old black man named Timothy, a former sailor in the

S.S. Hato who’s in his 70’s and comes from the island of St. Thomas. They

are alone with no other ship’s passengers to be found, only a cat named

Stew. Even though he has been living in the Caribbean for several years,

Phillip hasn’t had much contact with black people, as his mother had

always told him that they were different and lived differently. Several days

pass by and the boy’s head injury gets worse to the point that he loses his

sight. This is the point where everything starts changing for Phillip.

Eventually they find a small cay where Timothy decides to land and so

starts a new journey in their lives, where Phillip must rely on Timothy, learn

to overcome his prejudices and commit himself to trust and get to know

what an exceptional, wise human being Timothy really is.

“The Cay” is a historical fiction set in the Caribbean, where Taylor

entangles the events of World War II with an array of themes such as race,

which is evident from its dedication as Taylor writes: “To Dr. King’s Dream,

which can only come true is the very young know and understand.” The

issue of race is presented among Phillip and Timothy’s relationship which is

not good at the beginning. At first the young boy is full of prejudices which

apparently have been founded by his mother, but his blindness forces him

to depend upon Timothy and so the theme of friendship is also developed

as a beautiful connection starts between them, one where skin color

doesn’t exist. Also present is the theme of transformation which is pictured

in Phillip’s attitude and views. He undergoes a substantial and life defining

transformation almost from the beginning of the story. His initial views

about war and his biased beliefs about race changes through the story as a

result of the experiences he lives during the Germans attacks and

afterwards with Timothy. And so we can also find the theme of sacrifice and

love which is present through Phillip’s family, especially in his dad, who

decides to let them go, so they can try to be safe even though he has to

stay. But the figure who best personifies the element of love and sacrifice is

Timothy. His selflessness and love is presented as he performs the

ultimate act of sacrifice when he protects Phillip from the hurricane with its

own body.

The story also presents two main conflicts. The first one is man vs. self;

Phillip must rid himself of his racial prejudices as his blindness makes him

dependents on Timothy and he starts to understand that beneath the skin,

is all the same as old Timothy said. There is also a man vs. nature conflict

as both Phillip and Timothy have to learn to survive in the small island with

what they can find and adapt to their current conditions. It is also there

when they are struggling against the hurricane as a force of nature.

Taylor uses symbolism in the story to present important elements to the

reader, pertaining Phillip and Timothy’s character. Blindness is not only part

of Phillip conflict it is also symbolic, his initial views about race begin to

change precisely when he gets blind thus not only making him physically

blind, but also “color” blind, as he rids himself of his narrow-minded views

and learns that what really matters is how the person is “inside”, his

qualities. We can also see how the coconut tree is a symbol in the story.

Phillip is afraid to climb it, because of his blindness. As the story

progresses and Timothy makes him a little more independent day by day,

he is ready to climb the tree and get the coconuts to feed them both. This

achievement is not only literal but in a figurative way when he feels ready to

“climb the tree” it means that he has matured, no longer afraid and can take

care of himself. Another important symbolism in the story is the arrival of

the hurricane. The hurricane can be a depiction of violence and when

Timothy protects Phillip with his own body against this violence is a clear

illustration of his qualities and how he is willing to sacrifice in order to

protect another.

The use of 1st person narrative is a helpful tool in the story because it lets

you perceive the change in Phillip’s character. When the story starts he is

disobedient and petulant and as the story develops we are aware of his

inner feelings and the struggle he goes through to finally conquer

prejudices as he learns to respect and love Timothy.

“The Cay” is an invaluable book for teachers because it has many topics

integrated in it. First there’s history, when teaching the book a historical

background of the time can be presented as well as how the world suffered

through World War II. Geography can be studied as the setting is analyzed;

where is Curacao, what island are near it, how is the island, their

inhabitants, etc. Another subject that can be integrated is Science, as the

students read about the cay and the reef that surrounds it, they can also be

taught about the different species that inhabits those areas and why should

coral reefs be protected, weather can also be integrated as it is explained

what a hurricane is and its effects. But one of the most important subjects

that should be addressed when teaching “The Cay” is about the importance

of values, especially tolerance. This book presents a great opportunity to

teach about humanity, equality, human dignity and rights. It can be easily

related to Martin Luther King’s dream of freedom and equal rights,

depicting his vision of an ideal world when Timothy and Phillip are able to

live together in the small cay without any reference to race differences. This

story gives teachers the chance to raise awareness about respect and

values, topics that are indispensable to teach these days.

“The Cay” is a book that not only kids enjoy but also adults. For all that the

book encompasses it will continue to be a milestone in elementary

education for years to come.