Chapter 17 Summary

Because Manjiro cannot write, he records all of the differences between America and Japan in his mind. At two different churches, two different Sunday mornings, Manjiro notices the way the church elders and deacons look at him funny. When Manjiro asks the captain what it is, the captain angrily tells Manjiro that the deacons think Manjiro should sit in the seats reserved for negroes.

Chapter 17 Analysis

Manjiro is experiencing racism for the first time. Manjiro also learns that he can be the change in the world or he can sit back and watch as everything happens. It also appears as if Mrs. Whitfield is ahead of her time. She's talking about a world where slavery and segregation is abolished, and where women have the same rights as men.