The story opens with Karana at age twelve. She is a girl with long black hair and is a member of a small tribe that lives in a village called Ghalas-at on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. She ages throughout the story into an older woman and the when she is rescued she could be nearly thirty. Her secret name is Karana, Won-a-pa-lei is her public name and means "Girl With The Long Black Hair."
Karana is very family oriented and does things for the good of the tribe rather than just for herself. She has a love of nature and all things living. She is very self-sufficient and has wonderful survival skills. She learns great respect for her ancestors and how to cope with loneliness by being happy with herself and making relationships with.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 363 words. This
study guide contains 25,060 words (approx. 84 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Island of the Blue Dolphins Access Pass.
