Domesticity and Adventure: The Island of the Blue Dolphins
As My first true piece of novel-related literature, I happened to pick The Island of the Blue
Dolphins out of a library full of books as a young child. It was not a recommendation, nor was it just one of a few books in which to choose. As I read this book as a child, the realism bestowed a mental experience upon me that was irreplaceable. I was happy to see this book mentioned for one of the assignment choices in our class, and the story brought back a very warm feeling. This story inspired me as a child and once again, I am inspired and awed by Karana’s ability to survive. There is also sadness I feel for what she went through all those years. The Island of the Blue Dolphins is a beautifully written historical offering about a Native
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203) Karana is the main character, a female protagonist with whom we sympathize and share her daily life. In realistic fiction that uses both social and emotional realism, Karana is an Individual against nature as she struggles to survive alone in the wilderness. The emotional realism reflects believable feelings and relationships as the social realism provides insight into a Karana’s social class within her social group. It is also a story of survival, as it shows realistic skills needed for survival rather than spelling out a moral at the end. The difference that the protagonist is a girl vs boy was evident in her need for tools and weapons. Since she did not want to disobey tribal law and only the men in her culture could fashion weapons for hunting and tools, Karana searched for discarded weapons. Ultimately, she had to make the decision to forego traditional law and make her own weapons and tools to survive, making a set of bow and arrows and a spear. She struggled with the choice she had to make, but realized it was her only