The Cay Character Analysis Essay

Throughout the Cay Phillip’s character reveals many different character traits. During the time lost on the island Phillip changes into a more positive person. Before Timothy’s death Phillip was a negative person who did nothing. After Timothy died and Phillip was left alone he became positive and willing to do stuff.In The Cay, Phillip’s character reveals that through many conflicts, he developed independence, bravery, and hard work.

Phillip demonstrates independence after experiencing blindness as evidenced in the novel when he was able to survive by himself on The Cay after Timothy’s death. At the beginning of the novel, Phillip responds with stubbornness after arguing with his parents about not wanting to leave Curacao. Phillip’s mother

At first, Phillip did not want to help Timothy do any of the work. Timothy had told Phillip how to weave the mat so they could get their camp set up faster but Phillip used the excuse of being blind to not do any work. After Timothy had stood up and walked over the Phillip and told him again how to do it, Phillip got very angry cause he did not want to work and stood up and threw the palm fibers at Timothy and screamed at Timothy that he was just a ugly black man! He also said how he would not do the work and how Timothy was stupid cause he did not even know how to spell (Taylor 70-71). Phillip was not hardworking at this moment in the novel and was just lazy. In the middle of the novel, Phillip started to become more helpful. One day, Timothy came down with Malaria and Phillip helped Timothy out. Phillip had ripped a piece of cloth of his shirt and dampened it with water to place on Timothy’s forehead because he had remembered that helps with fevers (Taylor 89). He also got water from the hut and brought it down the Timothy and made him drink it so he would not be dehydrated (Taylor 91). This shows how Phillip was starting to do a little more work. Towards the end of the novel, Phillip had become full out hardworking. Phillip was now doing all the work on the island that had to be done since Timothy had passed. Phillip had rebuilt the camp after the hurricane and was now catching all the food for him and Stew Cat. Also, Phillip had realized that the smoke the fire was making was probably white so therefore the airplanes would not be able to see it. Phillip then had made a plan to use sea grape to make the smoke black so it would be noticeable. “ By the time I had carried ten or fifteen bundles of sea grape to the fire, tumbling them in, I was sure that a column of black smoke was rising into the sky over the cay