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True Identity In Richard Grant's The Cay

519 Words3 Pages

“The value of identity of course is that so often with it comes purpose.” - Richard Grant. This quote shows the value of identity, also the conflicts you must overcome to welcome your true identity. In The Cay Phillip’s character reveals that finding out your true identity and purpose comes from overcoming obstacles and hardships. Phillip changes drastically throughout the novel. Phillip changes from afraid, to brave, and finally independent. As the story begins and World War II reaches the Island of Curaçao, Phillip is best described as afraid. Fleeing for safety, Phillip Enright and his mother, board the Hato to leave for America. During their sail, they are torpedoed. Phillip is stranded on a raft with a large black man named Timothy. After enduring a blow to the head Phillip becomes blind. “ After a moment, lying there in darkness, hearing the creak of the raft and feeling its motion, it all hit me. I was blind and we were lost at sea. I began to crawl, screaming for my mother and father…” ( Taylor 46). This shows Phillip is afraid because it shows his fear and vulnerability. Phillip fears he will never be reunited with his mother and father ever again. Phillip also fears his sight will never return. This is …show more content…

After finding a small cay Phillip and Timothy start to find food and create a shelter. Timothy spots a large palm full of coconuts and asks Phillip to climb it. Phillip begins to climb the tree but a giant wave of fear washes over him. Phillip feels the need to redeem himself and climb the palm. “ I think it was the fifth afternoon of this week that I blurted out to Timothy , I’ll climb the palm now” (Talyor 98) . This shows that Phillip is changing on the island, because of the conflicts on the island, also with Timothy. Phillip becomes more mature and fearless on the island. This is significant because it shows how Phillip’s conflict begins to change

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travels with his mother to america on the S.S Hato, a cargo ship headed to america but is torpedoed Phillip is hit on the head with a plank and goes unconscious when he regains conscious he find that he is on a raft with a black man. The book vividly explains how Timothy looks, this is a negative connotation showing that Phillip immediately disliked him by his physical features. Timothy was being kind ,understanding that Phillip is not used to some people and will be upset from what he has gone through. Timothy tries to survive and catches fish for them to eat but since there is no fire to cook the fish they have to eat it raw, Phillip uses this to prove that they are “different”

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In the beginning of the novel, Phillip demonstrates giving up in the event of Timothy trying to teach him how to weave beds out of palm fronds as stated by Phillip when the book and Phillip states, “I didn’t want to work... ’I tell you I can’t see!’... I screamed” This shows his lack of determination and drive to accomplish his goals. In the middle of the novel, Phillip uses his intellect to give him a little drive towards making a better signal fire as stated here, “...I knew I could not live this way...

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Ever wondered about the reason why people are the way they are? Many people call this identity. This is seen best through the book, Speak. The main character, Melinda, goes through a continuous journey through high school, trying just to survive. But what shapes her identity through that journey?

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In the beginning, Phillip is very unaware of what is going on and where he is . He was forced to go on a boat by his mother and the boat got attacked so now he is stuck on the life raft with an old black man named Timothy and stew cat. Phillip was very confused about what happened and why he was stuck with someone he didn’t know. He began to get scared because he had no idea where he was but he tried to keep calm. Later on in the novel, he can be described as uncooperative when he refused to help Timothy make palm mats and used harsh words towards him when Timothy never did anything.

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Throughout literature the constant theme of identity has been explored, with Northrop Frye even suggesting “the story of the loss and regaining of identity is, I think, the framework for all literature.” For characters, true identity isn’t always apparent, it needs to be searched for. Sometimes the inner struggle for identity stems from ones need for belonging. Whether one finds their sense of identity within friends, family, or in a physical “home”. It’s not always a place that defines identity.

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Timothy had to have been extremely thirsty after rescuing Phillip. Later in chapter 4, Timothy stated, “‘A crack on d’ead takes a few days to go ‘way.’” (p.45) This quote shows that Timothy had always protected Phillip. He wanted to give Phillip hope because if Timothy said that Phillip would never see again, he would give up and not be hopeful.

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An additional theme that is presented in the book is how courage can help people face fears. People see this when Brian is on a plane and his pilot has a heart attack (page 26). Brian then has to fly the plane but he is frightened to do it. Brian has never flown a plane before, so he is petrified to do it. He is very courageous to face his fear of flying a plane.

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Life itself is a perplexing labyrinth, where one will encounter positive and negative experiences and must learn to utilize the lessons derived from those experiences. The lessons are to be applied to one’s life and contribute to the development of one’s ethics and morals. If one does not wish to grow out of his or her youth mentally, then his or her ethical and moral growth will be virtually impossible. The main character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel This Side of Paradise, Amory Blaine, is a young man who encounters many tribulations in an upper class society while facing his difficult school years. His personality traits are exceedingly egocentric and convey a personal craving for success in his youth.

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At the beginning of the story he is racist, he has a bad temper and is rude. One negative characteristic inhered by Phillip from his mother is his prejudice. When the S.S. Hato was torpedo, and sees Timothy for the very first time, he thinks he is a very old and ugly Negro (pg. 30). The way Phillip

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Cady Heron did not have an identity, it was formed after meeting the plastics. She had found a large group that had fulfilled her social needs and have the feeling of sense of belonging again. Students in the film have identified themselves with other people and their belonging in particular groups. Losing all her friends and her identity as a mean girl

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Island Survival Essay Directions: Read each article posted in Google Classroom. Each article is about information on surviving on a deserted island. Use evidence from both articles as well as evidence from The Cay to Answer the essay prompt below. Essay Prompt: Timothy has a plan for survival as soon as they hit the shore of the cay. Every action is meant to set both Phillip and Timothy up for survival on the island.

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During his time on the lifeboat, Pi experiences what it truly means to survive. Pi views the life and death situation of being electrocuted and a thing of beauty. He sees the strength and grace of the lightning rather than cower in fear to

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