Shipwreck

Shipwreck is narrated in the first-person point of view, with the perspective alternating between the main characters, who will later come to embody the theme of The Power of Teamwork and Friendship. The cast of characters are introduced in the first three chapters, starting with the main protagonist Luke, closely followed by the deuteragonists Will, Lyssa, Ian, Charla, and J.J. The contrasting backgrounds and characteristics of the six teenagers are emphasized early on: Luke is smart, kind, and only there because he naively trusted a school friend. His instinct to do well and impress those in authority is shown by his attempts to learn the correct boating terminology, despite being yelled at by Radford. Luke is not from a wealthy background, and he resents comments made by Lyssa about her family’s lawyer, who got criminal charges against herself and Will dropped. The siblings Will and Lyssa appear to hate each other. During his first conversation with Luke, Will expresses that he “should have been an only child” (6), a sentiment he repeats often, foreshadowing the later loss of some of the crew, including Lyssa.

Though Ian and Charla’s characters are fleshed out in later chapters, both initially seem quiet and reserved. Ian’s character arrives arguing about having to give up his laptop, underscoring his obsession with screens and the Internet and foreshadowing his wealth of knowledge that will prove necessary for the group’s survival. This annoying and seemingly trivial obsession plays a critical survival role in later chapters, but during these early chapters, his protests fit the young, shy, loner character that Ian portrays. Meanwhile, J.J.’s character clashes with all the other kids. He flaunts his wealth, and his behavior illustrates a complete disregard for authority. J.J.’s extreme actions hint at insecurity. Rapaport’s words to J.J. also foreshadow the deadly mistake he will make while aboard the schooner. Further, through his lack of accountability and detachment from reality, J.J., at this point in the novel, serves as a foil to Luke, who has paid for a crime he did not even commit.

The antagonist of the story is Mr. Radford, a character with no redeeming features, other than his loyalty to the captain. While humorous, Radford’s insistence on never learning the kid’s names, calling the boys Archie (or Richie Rich for J.J.) and the girls Veronica (a comic character) underscores his indifference to the paying crew and prevents him from forming a meaningful relationship with them. The narration never shifts to Radford’s perspective, so his emotions and backstory remain unknown, keeping his character one-dimensionally cruel and sparking no empathy.

Meanwhile, Captain James Cascadden is portrayed as a steady, reliable character who offers a sense of safety to the crew. A seasoned sailor, Cascadden creates an atmosphere of calm confidence with regard to the voyage itself, making his later death all the more jarring.

In these early chapters, there is a sense of tension in that the children are forced to be there, which speaks to a kind of Regret and Facing Consequences. Any conflict at this point in the text appears to be interpersonal and related to character differences or inner turmoil rather than life-threatening outward forces or a need for physical survival. However, examining each character as they appear in everyday life helps to highlight their later growth, except for the irredeemable Radford. Indeed, even Luke harbors resentment at this point in the text, as he knows he has does nothing that deserves punishment. Luke feels wronged by the world, and though this may be a fair outlook, that perspective is projected onto characters like Lyssa, whose parents can afford a lawyer. Luke’s thoughts highlight how human it is to compare oneself to others, and the contrast between this relatively normal situation—a group of young adults meeting each other—and the life-threatening survival situation they will later face demonstrates that a person’s true character is often revealed in an atypical situation.