Timothy of the Cay
Encyclopedia
{orphan|date=August 2010}93, ISBN 0152883584) is a book written by Theodore Taylor
. It is both a prequel and a sequel to The Cay.
, and Phillip Enright Jr.'s life after the same events.
Hannah Gumbs herself died during Timothy's first four years at sea. But he worked long enough and hard enough, both at sea and on land, to be able to afford a schooner originally named the Tessie Crabb by what he guesstimated were his forties. Holding a master's license in the name of "Timothy Gumbs" (he would think of himself simply as Timothy, without a family name, for his entire life) by this time, he renamed this schooner the Hannah Gumbs, as he had always intended. Making his living as its "captin", Timothy gleaned an extensive enough knowledge of the sea to be able, in his last months, to help "Phillip" Enright Jr. survive on a cay in el Boca de Diablo, "the Devil's Mouth".
The story describes how, after the captain of the Hettie Redd died, Timothy was asked to bring his body back for burial as temporary captain of the Hettie Redd. He did so reluctantly, suspecting that a violent storm, or "tempis'", might strike. One did, sinking the Hettie Redd with all hands let alone him and drowning all its passengers in spite of all he did to ensure their survivals. Though he was absolved in the inquiry, Timothy carried the guilt for the rest of his days and often wished he too had drowned in the storm.
At over seventy years of age, and two years after he had sold the Hannah Gumbs and retired from the sea, Timothy signed aboard the S.S. Hato, the Dutch-registered freighter that, according to The Cay, was sunk in April 1942, as an A.B., an able-bodied seaman, in response to a call for volunteers placed early in 1942. When it picked up the Enright family in Curaçao
, of what were then the Netherlands Antilles
, they were fleeing to their native Virginia. Instead the Hato was torpedoed; as it sank, Phillip Jr. was struck on the back of the head by a piece of loose timber just as he was being thrown aboard a raft, which blinded him two days later. Most of the events in The Cay follow the sinking of the Hato.
They flew to New York City, where the surgeon who could perform the operation was based. The operation was a success, restoring most of Phillip's vision though he would always need eye-glasses from that day forward, and he and his father made plans to visit the cay where he and Timothy had survived for just over three months, till Timothy had been killed in a hurricane that had struck the cay when flying debris had severely lacerated him; he had given his life to protect Phillip's, using his body to shield Phillip from the debris. Phillip had survived alone for almost two months afterwards, thanks to Timothy's having prepared him for just that.
Phillip and his father did indeed find the cay where Phillip had survived, and where Timothy was buried. At Timothy's grave, as he had planned, Phillip closed his eyes and said, "Dis b'dat outrageous cay, eh, Timothy?" He heard what sounded like laughter as a response, followed by Timothy's voice responding, "Dis be it, Phill-eep..."
The novel ends with the sentence "I wasn't dreaming."
Theodore Taylor (author)
Theodore Taylor was an American author of more than 50 fiction and non-fiction books for young adult readers, including The Cay, The Weirdo , Ice Drift, Timothy of the Cay, The Bomb, Sniper, and Rogue...
. It is both a prequel and a sequel to The Cay.
The synopsis
The book discusses Timothy's life before the events of The Cay, when he was living in "Back O' All", the poorest section of the squatter's village Charlotte Amalie, on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. ThomasSaint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
, and Phillip Enright Jr.'s life after the same events.
Timothy
According to Timothy of the Cay, Timothy had been abandoned as a baby at the residence in Back O' All where Hannah Gumbs, a former coal carrier turned washer-woman who reared him, was a squatter. As a boy, he formed a dream of one day being captain of his own schooner, which he meant to name after the woman he called "Tante Hannah". When he tried to become a cabin boy on one ship, its captain took on a "bukra" boy instead because he was black. When he finally did become one on another ship, he was fourteen but claimed an age of sixteen.Hannah Gumbs herself died during Timothy's first four years at sea. But he worked long enough and hard enough, both at sea and on land, to be able to afford a schooner originally named the Tessie Crabb by what he guesstimated were his forties. Holding a master's license in the name of "Timothy Gumbs" (he would think of himself simply as Timothy, without a family name, for his entire life) by this time, he renamed this schooner the Hannah Gumbs, as he had always intended. Making his living as its "captin", Timothy gleaned an extensive enough knowledge of the sea to be able, in his last months, to help "Phillip" Enright Jr. survive on a cay in el Boca de Diablo, "the Devil's Mouth".
The story describes how, after the captain of the Hettie Redd died, Timothy was asked to bring his body back for burial as temporary captain of the Hettie Redd. He did so reluctantly, suspecting that a violent storm, or "tempis'", might strike. One did, sinking the Hettie Redd with all hands let alone him and drowning all its passengers in spite of all he did to ensure their survivals. Though he was absolved in the inquiry, Timothy carried the guilt for the rest of his days and often wished he too had drowned in the storm.
At over seventy years of age, and two years after he had sold the Hannah Gumbs and retired from the sea, Timothy signed aboard the S.S. Hato, the Dutch-registered freighter that, according to The Cay, was sunk in April 1942, as an A.B., an able-bodied seaman, in response to a call for volunteers placed early in 1942. When it picked up the Enright family in Curaçao
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, of what were then the Netherlands Antilles
Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
, they were fleeing to their native Virginia. Instead the Hato was torpedoed; as it sank, Phillip Jr. was struck on the back of the head by a piece of loose timber just as he was being thrown aboard a raft, which blinded him two days later. Most of the events in The Cay follow the sinking of the Hato.
Phillip
After his rescue from the cay in el Boca de Diablo, Phillip was reunited with his parents, both of whom had likewise survived the sinking of the Hato. His mother, Grace Enright, continued to think of him as a child for a long while, even after he was told that an operation could be performed that might restore his vision, but her husband, Phillip Sr., endorsed their son's decision to have that surgery. Phillip had come, since Timothy's death, to consider Timothy a guardian angel with whom he could sometimes speak.They flew to New York City, where the surgeon who could perform the operation was based. The operation was a success, restoring most of Phillip's vision though he would always need eye-glasses from that day forward, and he and his father made plans to visit the cay where he and Timothy had survived for just over three months, till Timothy had been killed in a hurricane that had struck the cay when flying debris had severely lacerated him; he had given his life to protect Phillip's, using his body to shield Phillip from the debris. Phillip had survived alone for almost two months afterwards, thanks to Timothy's having prepared him for just that.
Phillip and his father did indeed find the cay where Phillip had survived, and where Timothy was buried. At Timothy's grave, as he had planned, Phillip closed his eyes and said, "Dis b'dat outrageous cay, eh, Timothy?" He heard what sounded like laughter as a response, followed by Timothy's voice responding, "Dis be it, Phill-eep..."
The novel ends with the sentence "I wasn't dreaming."