Jamaica

As the titular and first setting of the novel, Hughes’ depiction of Jamaica as a surreal, obscure island paradise mirrors the overall tone of the novel. Some of the descriptions engage in exoticization, particularly observations like “Jamaica remained, and blossomed anew, its womb being inexhaustible” (45). However, Hughes is also critical of the ways that the English colonials, with the exception of their children, refuse to interact with their environment and Jamaican citizens. Their efforts to control and explain the unexplainable beauty of the island are doomed to fail, and when they see their children sharing culture with their creole neighbors, they ship them off to London.

The Pirate Ship

If Jamaica is “a kind of paradise for English children” (8), Captain Jonsen’s ship is an even greater one. There is not much food and little water for cleaning, but the children are each able to find material for...