Shipwreck

In these chapters, Radford’s cruel character is emphasized, and to an extent, the circumstances brought about by allowing both Radford and J.J. to go unchecked speaks to the theme of Regret and Facing Consequences. Radford enjoys making the crew’s time as miserable as possible, reveling in their seasickness and pain. The captain, who is a good man, also challenges the trust of the group by making them manually work the sails while knowing that they could be motorized. Despite there being a common “enemy” of Radford, the kids do not bond or work together cohesively, other than to complain about Radford. Perhaps if the crew had been more serious about the dangers posed by such an openly cruel person, they might’ve helped to diffuse tensions between J.J. and Radford, or ignored Radford altogether. Instead, Will takes delight in Lyssa feeling sick or becomes bitter when she later finds her sea legs.

J.J. wants to fight back against Radford—almost causing a physical fight with Luke, who tells J.J. that CNC is better than jail. However, this disagreement also raises the question of children being expected to not question the authority of the adults around them, particularly in a setting that is intended to correct children’s behavior. Radford is much worse than your average adult who dislikes children, and perhaps the group’s approach to him could’ve been more strategic. For example, taking the captain aside to share feelings of unsafety or fear might’ve meant that a closer eye was kept on Radford. What’s more, the children don’t trust each other enough to strategize about anything or consider that danger might strike on the high seas.

Significantly, J.J.’s need to prove that he knows better than the rest of the crew is exemplified when he decides to take control, despite The Phoenix being secure against the storm. J.J.’s arrogance and desire to prove Radford, the captain, and Luke wrong drives him to act without listening, repeating the pattern of behavior that landed him in the CNC program. Even though it is not J.J. who ultimately presses the button, it is J.J. who unties the sail and triggers the sequence of catastrophic events that end the captain’s life while the captain was trying to save J.J.’s life. However, this shows the dark side of The Power of Teamwork and Friendship; when it is lacking, people can get hurt, especially in dangerous environments.

There is a rapid tone-shift in the narrative when the captain is flung overboard. Fighting for survival—not learning about survival—becomes the reality for the crew, who need to find The Power of Inner Strength and the power of teamwork and friendship in order to survive. They are now stranded at sea during a storm, with no captain, and an adult who despises them. Had they harnessed these powers earlier and discovered what they hold in common rather than focusing on what sets them apart, they might have avoided this situation altogether.