The Adventurous Simplicissimus · Chapter
XIX: How Simplicissimus and a Carpenter Escaped from a Shipwreck with Their Lives and Were Thereafter Provided with a Land of Their Own explained
Simplicissimus and a carpenter survive a violent shipwreck near the Cape of Good Hope, drifting to an uninhabited but fertile island.
What happens
Simplicissimus and a carpenter survive a violent shipwreck near the Cape of Good Hope, drifting to an uninhabited but fertile island. They explore the island, find abundant fruit, fresh water, and birds, and establish a makeshift home using only an axe, a spoon, knives, a fork, and scissors. They swear perpetual fidelity to each other, use gunpowder to start a fire, and cook birds with lemon juice as a salt substitute.
Themes in this chapter
Fortune and Fate
Simplicissimus and the carpenter are cast by fortune from a deadly storm to a fruitful island, highlighting the capricious nature of fate.
Innocence and Experience
The island's untouched abundance and the characters' reliance on basic survival skills evoke a return to a simpler, innocent state, contrasted with their prior worldly experiences.
Characters to notice
- Simplicissimus
Survives the shipwreck and lands on a desert island with the carpenter.
- The Huntsman of Soest
Referred to as the carpenter; Simplicissimus's companion in the shipwreck and on the island.
Key passages
“So taking ship and coming from the Sinus Arabicus or Red Sea into the ocean, and having a fair wind, we held our course to pass by the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed for some weeks so happily that way that we could have desired no other weather: but when we deemed that we were now over against the isle of Madagascar there suddenly arose such a hurricane that we had scarce time to take in sail.”
They sailed from the Red Sea toward the Cape of Good Hope with favorable winds for weeks, but near Madagascar a sudden hurricane struck before they could lower the sails.
Describes the onset of the storm that leads to the shipwreck.
“Then was the sea in a moment strown with chests, bales, and fragments of the ship, and then one could hear and see the unlucky folk, here and there, some on and some under the waves, clinging to anything that in such need came first within their grasp, and with dismal cries lamenting their ruin and commending of their souls to God.”
The sea was quickly covered with wreckage and people struggling to stay afloat, crying out in despair and praying as the ship broke apart.
Depicts the chaos and human suffering during the shipwreck.
“But I, with the ship’s carpenter, lay upon a great timber of the vessel which had certain crosspieces yet fast to it, to which we clung and spake to one another.”
Simplicissimus and the carpenter clung to a large piece of timber with crosspieces and talked to each other.
Shows how the two survivors held onto debris and communicated during the storm.
“So there we fell on our knees and kissed the ground, and thanked God above for His fatherly care in bringing of us to land; and in such fashion did I come to my island.”
They knelt, kissed the ground, and thanked God for bringing them safely to land, marking Simplicissimus's arrival on the island.
Expresses their gratitude and the significance of reaching land.
“So we began to consider of our way to act; and because we must live even as prisoners on this island with one another we did swear perpetual fidelity each to each.”
They discussed how to proceed and swore eternal loyalty to each other, recognizing they would be confined to the island together.
Highlights their pact of mutual support in isolation.