How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
The captain turned to the first mate. "Mr. Hollybrass, remove Miss Doyle's belongings from her cabin. Let her take her place in the forecastle with the crew. Put her down as Mister Doyle and list Miss Doyle in the log as lost. From this point on I expect to see that he works with the rest. (14.19)
The captain seems to think it's important that, since Charlotte is now a member of the crew, she be addressed as "Mister Doyle." Charlotte's sex may still be the same (that is, she's still got a girl's body), but her gender role is now completely different. We guess that means no more tea in the captain's cabin.
Quote #8
I was given a hammock placed in a corner. Around this a piece of torn sail was tacked up as a kind of curtain. The space was private for me, and kept that way. (14.28)
Though Charlotte has taken on the name "Mister Doyle," she's still different from the rest of the crew. We mean, she's still, biologically speaking, a female, yes? Do you think the curtain is a realistic solution to the problem of Charlotte's, um, body?
Quote #9
"Is the way you dress unnatural?"
"Not for the work I do..."
"What work is that?"
"As a member of the crew."
"Is being a crew member not unnatural for a girl?"
"Unusual," I insisted. "Not unnatural."
"Your hair?"
"I could not work with it long!"
"Work?"
"I am one of this crew."
"Unnatural," he said.
"Unusual," said I. (18.192-18.203)
In the courtroom scene, we're asked to think about Charlotte's gender bending. Is it "unusual" or "unnatural"? Jaggery argues that a girl dressing as a boy is unnatural and goes against the laws of nature. (Uh, since when did the laws of nature dictate what we wear? We'd really like to know.) Charlotte insists that wearing pants and cutting her hair is out of the ordinary, perhaps, but these things have more to do with society than with nature.