The Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960)

• The main point of this story is to celebrate human resilience and the survival value of optimism.
• The problem faced by Karana (the heroine) is how to stay alive, alone on a small island, among human and natural threats--while nurturing the hope of being reunited with her loved ones.
• Karana's solution to the problem is to build for herself a one-woman civilization, adapting her lost tribe's traditions to her unique circumstances, and taking creative new approaches to unexpected occurrences.
• The child appeal of this story is in the vivid example of ingenuity and persistence used to overcome overwhelming adversities. At the same time the story strives to remain realistic--Karana does not automatically succeed in everything (she fails to paddle away from the island, never gets to eat the devilfish).
  • On the one hand, this book improves on the timeless appeal of the Robinson Crusoe story because Karana, a child like the reader, is much easier to identify with.
  • On the other hand, the story never delves on any effects of aging over the eighteen-year duration of the story. For instance, Karana is twelve at the beginnig of the story. At that age, a girl in a hunter-gatherer culture probably had yet to experience puberty. Not even an oblique reference is made in the story to the predictable changes--even purely emotional ones, compatible with the young age of the readers. This oddly unrealistic aspect of the book in fact increases its appeal by borrowing some of the magic of Peter Pan's story. It suggests that what we take for ordinary aging is a cultural construct, and that there is in fact a Never-Never Land where castaways can remain childlike forever.
• The parent/teacher appeal of this story is in presenting a role model of forbearance. It also promotes respect for nature, and encourages kinship with native cultures.

Notes for a book report

• Russian ship with red sails bearing bad guys--possibly prompted by the sixties' concern with the "red menace"?
• Karana has the resourcefulness and the drive to replace her lost family with the "materials at hand": dog, birds, otter. It resonates with children attempting to rectify a damaged situation at home.
• Karana's initial attitude towards nature is one of drastic opposition (she vows to kill the wild dogs). Gradually, she takes on a different outlook as she has to rely on her environment, outside of her tribe's cultural framework. Her 'environmental consciousness', thus, is a genuine conquest on her part, not a tacked-on conceit.
  • All the same, some of the passages where Karana details her resolve not to kill any animals are somewhat strained. It's the closest the author ever comes to preaching.
• Today's children will appreciate the sober, matter-of-fact style. Straightforward account of events conveys the emotional appeal of the story, dispensing with mawkish language.
• Karana's struggle shows in practical terms the damage wrought by segregating children (here, according to gender). She masters easily her tribe's household technologies (weaving, food harvesting, using small dried fish as lamps). She is however handicapped (and her life is endangered) when she attempts to build weapons in defiance of a men-only tribal taboo: she watched her father build spears and arrows, but never paid close attention because she knew she would not be allowed to do it herself. Other episodes also indicate a rejection of stifling traditions:
  • Karana burns down the tribal village, even though it could provide ready-made shelter.
  • Karana is trapped by the tide in the Black Cave with the skeleton and the totem figures. Even though she guesses that this place is the work of her ancestors, she decides never to return.
• The book appears to be marketed primarily to girls. However, it appears to me that boys would find much to their liking in this story, starting with the detailed survivalist instructions. I can envision any number of little boys attempting to emulate Karana's lighting technology by setting fire to the family goldfish... ;-)

Class discussion themes

• This story is loosely based on a real occurrence. How loose is it? Joe Robinson reports on the original Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island. Warning: this true story does not have a happy ending.
• This book is commonly included in the 4th grade curriculum in California, along with the traditional "missions report".
  • This is an age when children crave independence, and sometimes have to struggle to gain recognition. Karana, within the confines of her small world, sets her own rules.
• At the time it was written, in 1960, it was unusual to have a girl protagonist in an adventure book.
  • Even more remarkable is the theme of breaking a taboo which makes women subservient (they are prohibited to make weapons).
  • A related indication that Karana is overcoming traditional taboos is when she reveals her "real", secret name to Tutok (the Aleut girl who briefly enters her life), instead of insisting on the name she used with strangers, Won-a-pa-lei.
    • This entire episode is about building trust in spite of communications barriers, and prior enmities. Tutok reciprocates by not handing Karana to the hunters.
• Reputed to have little cross-gender appeal. Timeless popularity among girls. Boys allegedly not attracted to all the introspection.
  • A source of cross-gender interest is in the way that conventional male qualities are attributed to the female protagonist: under pressure, she finds the strength to overcome her grief in unemotional, constructive ways.
• Some readers may find it easier to relate to the story after they find out that it is based on a true story, and that the setting is in familiar (to Californians) locations.
• The flip side of Karana's extreme loneliness is her total freedom. It appeals to children escapist dreams of a world all their own. This is strongly reinforced by the first-person viewpoint.
• Young readers will be drawn in by all the details on building the things that Karana needs to survive. Appeals to children's interest in concrete, do-it-yourself knowledge of the world.
• The details of Karana's dog Rontu's death can make the young reader relate to the character's feelings, bridging the huge gap in material circumstances.
• The book presents a stark criticism of the white-led hunters' indiscriminate, non-sustainable slaughter of the otters (which are driven to escape at the approach of each hunting season).
• The heroine's many virtues:
  • Will to survive.
  • Self-reliance, ingeniousness, adaptability. She is knowledgeable about her tribe's skills, and creative in devising replacements for the animals she renounces killing.
  • Compassion and forgiveness.
  • Patience and Foresight. She is willing to wait for the right season, she makes plans for the future.
  • Optimism. She makes the best of her situation--when she finds she cannot flee, she commits to making the island her home by building a shelter.
  • High self-esteem. She rejoices in her own accomplishments. She shows respect for herself by dressing and looking her best even though there is no one to see her.
• The language used in the book remains very consistent. For instance, Karana does not use abstract measurements, rather relates everything to familiar objects: "as long as the spear" or "as long as an arm".
• The story exemplifies human craving for companionship. The episode with Tutok marks a change in mood, as Karana starts to think more of her lost friend, her lost family.
  • The detail of her imaginary conversations with absent people will ring true with anyone who's had bouts of loneliness--even if nowhere near Karana's total isolation.
• Karana is shown as very in tune with nature--she anticipates seasonal changes, knows how to choose the best time and place for each task (she won't attempt to collect abalone when starfish are preying on them).
  • Nature, however, is not romanticized--in parallel with the child's growing awareness that the world is not all benevolent.
  • When confronted with a violent dogfight, Karana allows nature to run its course. She lets Rontu fight it out and assert himself. She does not keep the dog in a state of arrested development--the fate of most pets.
• The first-person point of view, with its lack of an omniscient narrator, avoids direct manipulation of the reader's feelings.
  • The first-person narrative is also more lively in a situation where there's only one character through most of the book. A third-person presentation would have to be very repetitive.
• In spite of an overall goal (reuniting Karana with the rest of the tribe), the plot remains an episodic one, as the protagonist is not engaged in a single consistent quest throughout.