Date: 11.06.2020

Taylor, Theodore. The Cay. Avon, 1969.

Title:                The Cay

Publisher:        Avon

Pub. Year:        1969

Anthor:         Theodore Taylor

Media Type:         novel

The novel ‘The Cay,’ focuses on the relationship between Timothy and Phillp that raises above racial boundaries. During World War II, Phillip Enright’s mother felt it was unsafe to stay in Curaçao, due to German submarines surrounding the area. They board the S.S. set to arrive in Virginia.

The ship is attacked by Germans, sinking the ship. Phillip is stranded at sea, with an old West Indian black man named Timothy and a cat named Stew Cat. Phillip said “Timothy crawled over toward me. His face couldn't have been blacker, or his teeth whiter. His pink-purple lips peeled back over them like the meat of a conch shell. He had a big welt, like a scar, on his left cheek. I knew he was West Indian,” Phillip negatively describes Timothy, I believe this is racism. Drifting at sea, Phillip is blinded by a blow as the ship is attacked.

They soon find an island in Devil's Mouth and build a hut, while keeping track of the days by putting pebbles in a can. With few supplies, they live alone together for two months, fishing and collecting rainwater. Phillip overcomes his disliking for Timothy and develops a strong bond of friendship by the end of the novel, as Timothy takes care of Phillip and teaches him to survive independently, to the point where Phillip is not dependent on Timothy. Aeroplanes fly over the cay, but unfortunately, they do not see Timothy and Phillip. After a hurricane hits the cay, Timothy dies from "being tired", Phillip, devastated, digs a small grave for him. He is left with only Stew the Cat. Phillip is then rescued by a navy vessel. One year after he and Timothy find the island, he has multiple surgeries to get his sight back.

I felt Phillip Enright had a racist attitude towards Timothy, at the beginning and throughout the early parts of the novel. It seemed that Timothy was used to racism, which made me think about racism during those times. Timothy believes, “That underneath our skin we are all the same, ” Phillip, doesn’t believe this at first. I felt Phillip’s views completely changed after his experience with Timothy. 'The Cay' is a clear example that race doesn’t matter.