The Devil and the Dark Water

Sara is another antagonist of the novel and a dynamic character who changes throughout the novel. The first time she is introduced, she departs the safety of her palanquin to help the dying Bosey, then exchanges her own jewelry to help pay for his burial. She is strong-willed and intelligent, learning the art of healing from her mother and doing what she can to help others. However, she also lives under the thumb of her controlling and abusive husband, Haan. Despite the beatings she suffers, she often defies him to the best of her ability. As Old Tom whispers to her in the night, she expresses her desire for freedom above all else, and she plans with Creesjie to escape with her daughter to France.

Although Sara is strong-willed throughout the novel, she also spends the first part doing her best to fit into her role as a noblewoman. She goes to her husband’s bed each day to fulfill her marriage “duties,” dresses properly despite the weight and restrictiveness of her clothing, and only speaks about the mystery in secret, not wanting people to believe she is acting beneath her status. However, as the novel progresses, she slowly begins to step away from the chains of her nobility, not caring what the consequences will be or what people will think of her. She exchanges her heavy and restrictive dresses for peasant’s clothing that allows her to move freely—a change that symbolizes her development as a character. She goes from fulfilling the stereotypical role of a noblewoman to aiding the sick and working with Arent to solve the mystery. In the final lines of the text, she has officially transitioned from someone who is hiding to someone who is going to live as she pleases, as she is the one who suggests the continuation of Old Tom to the group and gains their allegiance.

Sammy is the primary antagonist of the novel. He is described as small and “ineffectual” but extremely intelligent, with dark curls and high cheek bones (2). He is a famous detective who has solved dozens of high-profile crimes, with his cases recorded, printed, and distributed through the Provinces by Arent. He is imprisoned by Haan at the start of the novel but is not told of his crimes, leaving Arent to solve the mystery largely on his own. However, it is later revealed that he orchestrated his own imprisonment as a cover, allowing him to move freely about the ship and perpetuate the Old Tom narrative.

Although Sammy is largely responsible for the fate of the Saardam and the deaths of dozens, he is adamant that he acted to get justice for his family, which was put into ruin by Haan’s schemes decades before. He refuses to acknowledge Sara’s claim that he is responsible for the deaths of the passengers, instead placing the blame on Crauwels. This inability to accept responsibility reflects Sammy’s arrogance and his fixation on revenge. In Arent’s eyes, this is the evil that exists within him and all people, conveying the theme of The Blurred Line Between Good and Evil. Although he is initially seen as the pinnacle of “good,” his true actions reveal the tendency of humanity to fall to “evil” when wronged.

Creesjie, who is revealed to be Emily de Haviland, is another antagonist of the novel. Through years of work, she becomes Haan’s mistress and then works with Sammy to orchestrate revenge for the destruction of her family decades before. Creesjie serves as a foil to Sara in the text. While both are noblewomen, Creesjie often does as she pleases – serving as Haan’s mistress despite his violent nature and her own engagement, moving around the ship without a care for her status, and stealing plans from Haan to orchestrate an escape for Sara and Lia. This is in direct contrast to Sara, who cares so much about her status and fears going against her husband, restricting her ability to be herself in doing so. When Creesjie talks with Lia about marriage, she explains that “Marriage is the price [she pays] for the privilege of nobility, and [she] consider[s] the price well spent. Poverty is the most dangerous thing for a woman” (322). In other words, unlike Sara – who feels trapped in her situation – Creesjie sees the privilege that it brings her and takes advantage of it. It is worth noting, however, that Sara faces physical and emotional abuse from her husband, something which Creesjie does not, thereby granting Creesjie another layer of privilege to be free from fear.