The Blue Lagoon · Chapter
Under the Artu Tree explained
The chapter introduces Emmeline Lestrange, a beautiful fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl living in a small bamboo house on a tropical island with her companion Dick.
What happens
The chapter introduces Emmeline Lestrange, a beautiful fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl living in a small bamboo house on a tropical island with her companion Dick. She is shown feeding a tame bird named Koko, and the description emphasizes her transformation from a plain child into a striking young woman over the past six months.
Themes in this chapter
Nature vs. Civilization
The house is built from natural materials and blends into the tropical landscape, contrasting with the civilized world.
Innocence and Loss
Emmeline's peaceful, naked existence with the bird evokes a state of innocence, yet her recent physical transformation hints at impending change.
Characters to notice
- Emmeline
The girl of fifteen or sixteen, naked except for a kilt, with long black hair and blue-grey eyes, feeding the bird Koko.
- Dick
Mentioned as the one who found and tamed Koko two years ago; Emmeline asks where he is.
- Koko
A tame bird with blue plumage and coral-red beak, fed by Emmeline and named for its vocal sound.
Key passages
“On the edge of the green sward, between a diamond-chequered artu trunk and the massive bole of a breadfruit, a house had come into being.”
A small house was built on the grassy area between an artu tree and a breadfruit tree.
Describes the setting of the chapter.
“The girl was Emmeline Lestrange.”
The girl's name is Emmeline Lestrange.
Introduces the main character.