How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Look how that woman walks with her arm on that man's arm. Don't they know that they shouldn't touch in public—that's just wrong! And, besides, women should always walk behind men."
"Why should women walk behind men?" (2.10.23-24)
That's our Manjiro, defending a woman's right to walk wherever she wants, even if it's even with or ahead of a man. He's a budding feminist, that guy. Question: Did he always think these radical thoughts or is this all from the influence of the captain and the other sailors?
Quote #8
Manjiro pointed to the sky. "Look," he said. Pink light rimmed the eastern horizon and ran down the sea. "Doesn't it look like the light from another world, spilling through a slightly open door?"
[…]
"It's like how I feel about America," Manjiro said. "It's as if I see this little bit of light from an open door. It promises… I don't know what! But I want to go through that door and find out what is there." (2.11.50-52)
Manjiro's a romantic. To Goemon, this whole vision of "the light from another world, spilling through a slightly open store" isn't all that—it's just a typical sunrise—but Manjiro is a dreamer and a visionary. He sees sunrise and thinks opportunity; he thinks America.
Quote #9
Manjiro hung his head. "Please excuse. I should be punished. I… I dropped it… into the sea."
The captain remained silent, puffing on his pipe. And everything rushed out of Manjiro—the story as best he could tell it: the attack by Jolly and the gang of thieves, the theft, and the fight. "I don't think you can believe," he finished. "Now it is my fault for Jolly not being here. I am sorry you lose your best harpooner and get me, only a greenhand." (2.14.11-12)
Manjiro's a stand-up guy. In fact, this sense of self is so important to him that he's willing to risk the captain's affections just so he can be true to his principles. And on top of that, he's totally humble. These qualities don't change for the rest of the novel—they're the bedrock of his identity.