The Blue Lagoon · Chapter
IX: Shadows in the Moonlight explained
Dick, Emmeline, and Mr.
What happens
Dick, Emmeline, and Mr. Button watch the sunset and moonrise from the deck of the Shenandoah. Mr. Button tells a folk tale about Buck M'Cann, a man obsessed with catching the moon. Emmeline detects a faint scent of flowers on the breeze, which Mr. Button dismisses. After putting the children to bed, Mr. Button stands alone on deck, lost in memories of Ireland, before retiring with sudden unease.
Themes in this chapter
Innocence and Loss
The children's innocent wonder at the sunset and moon contrasts with Mr. Button's melancholic memories and the looming sense of loss.
The Sublime and Terrible Nature
The vivid description of the sunset, moonrise, and the vast Pacific evokes nature's beauty and its capacity to inspire both awe and fear.
Isolation and Survival
The small group on the deserted ship at sea underscores their isolation, while Mr. Button's sudden fears hint at the precariousness of their survival.
Characters to notice
- Dick
Restless and questioning, Dick protests bedtime and rings the ship's bell as a final act of defiance.
- Emmeline
Sensitive and perceptive, Emmeline smells flowers on the breeze, hinting at an unseen presence.
- Mr. Button
Tells the tale of Buck M'Cann, then becomes pensive and fearful as he recalls his past and senses something amiss.
- Paddy Button
Referred to as Paddy, he cares for the children and is lost in nostalgic thoughts of Connemara.
Key passages
“Look at the sun goin' into the wather, and don't be spakin' a word, now, but listen and you'll hear it hiss.”
Watch the sun set into the water silently, and you'll hear it hiss.
Mr. Button encourages the children to observe the sunset with imaginative attention.
“He's gone chasin' the moon, an' she's skedadlin' wid her dress brailed up for all she's worth; she'll be along up in a minit.”
The sun is chasing the moon, but she's fleeing with her dress hitched up; she'll appear soon.
Paddy's whimsical explanation of the sunset and moonrise.
“Suppose he should suddenly see a head pop out—or, worse, a shadowy form go in?”
He feared seeing a head emerge or a shadowy figure enter the caboose.
Mr. Button's sudden anxiety about the caboose door.