Wednesday, January 16, 2008

In The Cay, Phillip felt dependent on Timothy at the same time he felt superior to him. What two events revealed Phillip's conflicting feelings?

Since the S.S. Hato was torpedoed, Phillip has lost his eyesight and his mother. He now finds himself stranded on an island with a man he barely knows and essentially no survival skills.


As a result, he feels dependent on Timothy. When Timothy leaves Phillip to explore the island, Phillip feels alone and frightened. He begins to worry that Timothy has fallen and is hurt. He worries that Timothy won't return and he will have to fend for himself. When Stew Cat brushes against Phillip's arm, Phillip screams in terror.


When Timothy returns, Phillip yells



"Never leave me again. Don't you ever leave me again!"



This shows his dependence on Timothy for survival.


However, Phillip also feels superior to Timothy. For example, when they are constructing the word "help" on the beach out of stones, Phillip learns that Timothy cannot spell.



"I felt good. I knew how to do something that Timothy couldn't do. He couldn't spell. I felt superior to Timothy that day, but I let him play his little game, pretending not to know that he really couldn't spell."


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