39 pages • 1 hour read
Gary PaulsenThe Voyage of the Frog
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1989A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Navigating Grief and Loss
The events of The Voyage of the Frog are set into motion due to a tragic circumstance when David Alspeth loses his Uncle Owen to cancer. From the very first chapter, David must grapple with his feelings of grief and regret, and he approaches these issues candidly. For example, he frequently weeps at the memory of his uncle and the sight of him on his deathbed, and when David boards the Frog for the first time after Owen gifted it to him, he is overwhelmed by the sights and smells that evoke his uncle. Overcome, he lets his sorrow wash over him and cries, “letting [his grief] roll out of him in uncontrollable heaves” (8). Rather than avoiding his feelings of anguish, David allows himself to experience his emotions completely. This instinctive willingness to embrace the intensity of his own emotions proves to be a double-edged sword during his ordeal at sea, for even as he feels deep awe and reverence for the ocean and the creatures who inhabit it, he must also contend with overwhelming waves of anger, fear, and despair that threaten to shatter his focus on his survival.
David also recognizes that grief can make an appearance even in happy moments. As he recalls a fond memory of sailing with Owen, he finds himself overcome by sadness and reflects, “Memories. Somehow the good ones cut the worst. The sweeter the memory the more it hurt. Stupid how that worked” (11). Despite the pain, David does not shy away from reliving his positive experiences with Owen. Despite his young age and relative inexperience, his manner of confronting grief models a higher maturity and emotional intelligence even as his feelings sometimes lead him to act rashly.
At the same time, David’s journey demonstrates how one can come to terms with loss, or how to live with feelings of grief. He does not allow his feelings of heartache to overwhelm him and prevent him from moving forward. Instead, he harnesses his emotions and memories of Uncle Owen and uses them to survive. With every new encounter at sea or unfamiliar situation, David recalls a lesson from Owen or advice he had once provided. His recollections of Owen help David successfully reef-sail the Frog and effectively anchor the boat in the secluded cove. At times David wishes that he had another person, like Owen, with him to share in his adventures, “and that wish made him think of his parents and Owen and in turn made them think of them, miss them, so that it almost stopped his breath” (129). However, David wills himself not to dwell on these negative feelings, but rather to appreciate the moment in which he is living. In fact, David does have someone else with whom to share these moments—his boat. The Frog initially symbolizes a connection to Owen and represents his loss, but by the end of the novel, David thinks of the Frog only as his companion and an emblem of all the turmoil he has overcome and the grief with which he has come to terms.
Developing Self-Reliance and Survival Skills
David spends most of the novel alone on the open ocean, isolated from civilization and drifting hundreds of miles from the closest shore. Surrounded by silence and empty space, he must rely solely on his skills, instincts, and knowledge to ensure his survival. At first, David’s solitary state provokes anxiety and fear. He is keenly aware that he is utterly lost and that no one will be able to find him. Acknowledging his situation candidly, he paradoxically faces down his fear by embracing it, telling himself, “You’re alone three hundred plus miles at sea in a small boat. You deserve to panic. Go ahead and panic” (51). He fears that he will starve to death or lose his mind, or that he will be drawn to the bottom of the ocean, alone in the dark. As time goes on, his isolation also heightens his hunger, which he likens to an internal “ache” or “emptiness” that mirrors the emptiness of the ocean around him. Being alone becomes an all-consuming thought for David, intruding into the most mundane of moments, and he even writes a single line in Owen’s sailing log: “I am alone” (95). As he remains focused on the safety and civilization that he has lost, David’s fixation upon his isolation becomes the defining feature of the first part of his voyage, but eventually, it also becomes the force that motivates him. Infused with a new sense of purpose, he eventually begins to make plans for survival, knowing that it is up to him to make it home; the awareness of his solitude therefore galvanizes him into rescuing himself.
After this turning point in the narrative, David begins to transform into a more independent young man, transcending the limited role of a frustrated boy. These shifts start with small but practical tasks such as cleaning the Frog and putting the boat back in working order. Likewise, his first survival attempts involve fishing for food, taking inventory of his supplies, and working out a general plan to head back east toward his home. When the wind returns and he is finally able to set sail, these preparations make him ready to take on the difficulties that the ocean throws his way. He also demonstrates a deeper sense of self-awareness, noting that he has changed both physically and mentally and is better prepared to survive. More importantly, he recognizes that although he is alone at sea, he also has the Frog to rely on, and he knows that without his uncle’s boat, he would never make it home in one piece. Due to this deep connection to the vessel, he balks when he is later faced with the prospect of leaving the Frog behind in order to be rescued, and he ultimately cannot bring himself to do it. At his heart, he cannot stand the idea of letting the boat “drift and die alone on the ocean” (139). He decides that he would rather sail home on his own, together with his beloved, dependable sailboat.
The Tension Between Life and Death
Death casts a shadow over much of the novel, for not only is David struggling with the recent death of his uncle, but he is also literally carrying his uncle’s remains with him as a physical representation of this recent death and loss. He realizes that “all that had been” was now “reduced to a small container of ashes” (13), and although he stows the box in the cabin, its presence on the boat remains palpable to David and serves as a constant reminder that his voyage has a morbid purpose. Upon laying Owen to rest at sea in accordance with his wishes, David also recognizes that his trip signifies an ending; this will be his uncle’s last voyage out into the ocean.
Very quickly, however, the novel demonstrates that there cannot be death without life, emphasizing that the two are inextricable. Even as David comes face to face with death during the first powerful storm, he survives and is immediately confronted by the full force of life around him. As the journey progresses, he marvels at the “blue life” of the Pacific Ocean and encounters so many examples of life that they begin to drown out his previous thoughts of death. When the wind finally returns to send him back toward home, he interprets it as a sign of spiritual hope as well, noting that it is as if the Frog had come alive. At this moment, his boat is no longer simply an inanimate object or vessel, nor is it a makeshift funeral barge for Owen’s last voyage. Instead, it represents the source of David’s survival and takes on a character and a presence all its own.
As his perspective shifts and broadens, David also begins to understand that his own life, in the grand scheme of things, is small and insignificant. As he sails along, surrounded by giant, majestic whales, he is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the Pacific and its own life. Overwhelmed by these thoughts, he can only express his emotions in prayer, and he says out loud, “Lord…Your sea is so large and my boat is so small—have mercy” (110). This recognition of the scale of life helps David to reckon with his existence and with death itself. It also allows him to approach life with greater hope and to recognize the vitality of those around him, including the Frog. By the end of the novel, he speaks to the Frog as if she is a living, breathing individual, and more importantly, he sees the boat as an entity whose “lifeforce” is caught up in his own. In tune with the rhythms of the ocean, he feels what the Frog needs and works to protect her. Therefore, when David decides to decline rescue and sail home with the Frog, potentially risking his death in future mishaps, he knows that it is the right course of action and is content to put his life in the care of the Frog.
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By Gary Paulsen
