How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I stepped out of my cabin and crept through the steerage. It was dawn. To the distant east, I could see the thinnest edge of sun. All else remained dark. I moved to the galley, praying I would meet no one before I reached it. For once my prayers were answered. I was not noticed.
I paused at the doorway. "Mr. Fisk," I whispered.
He straightened up, turned, saw me. I had, at least, the satisfaction of his surprise.
"I've come," I managed to say, "to be one of the crew." (12.110-12.113)
At the end of Part I, Charlotte puts on her new clothes and steps out of her cabin to join the crew. The scene is set just as the sun is beginning to rise. Both Charlotte and the day are getting a new start. What does the imagery accomplish? Why connect Charlotte's transformation to events in the natural world?
Quote #8
"Miss Doyle," the captain said with barely suppressed fury. "What is the meaning of this?"
How could I explain to him? Besides, there were no words left within me. I had gone through too many transformations of mood and spirit within the last twenty-four hours. (14.2-14.3)
Charlotte must prove herself to the other sailors by climbing to the top of the highest sail and, by doing so, something in her changes. But what is it? And why? (Or to channel the captain, "What is the meaning of this?") Notice that even for Charlotte, the change is difficult to put into words. Why do you think she has such a hard time articulating what's suddenly happening to her?
Quote #9
My knowledge of physical labor had been all but nil, of course; hardly a wonder then that from the moment I joined the crew I was in pain. I ached as if my body had been racked. My skin turned pink, then red, then brown. The flesh upon my hands broke first into oozing, running sores, then metamorphosed into a new rough hide-all as promised. (14.25)
Charlotte is not only changing on the inside, but also on the outside. The process is super painful and her body is becoming very different physically. But even though it hurts, do you think Charlotte's metamorphosis is positive? Or, at least, does she see it that way? Does the novel seem to suggest that change sometimes has to hurt in order to occur?