The Blue Lagoon · Chapter
V: The Sound of a Drum explained
Dick prepares to fish in the lagoon while Emmeline hears a mysterious drum-like sound.
What happens
Dick prepares to fish in the lagoon while Emmeline hears a mysterious drum-like sound. The next day, Dick goes fishing alone, hooks an albicore, and after a long struggle, a shark steals the catch, leaving Dick enraged.
Themes in this chapter
Isolation and Survival
Dick's solitary fishing expedition and Emmeline's fear of being alone highlight their struggle for survival on the island.
The Sublime and Terrible Nature
The beautiful yet dangerous lagoon, the mysterious drum sound, and the shark's predation reflect nature's sublime and terrible aspects.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“All at once another sound mixed itself with the voice of the surf—a faint, throbbing sound, like the beating of a distant drum.”
Suddenly, a faint pulsing noise, like a distant drum, blended with the surf.
Emmeline and Dick hear an unfamiliar sound on the island.
“The most venomous of living things, and the most intelligent could not have fought the great fish better.”
No creature, however venomous or intelligent, could have fought the fish more effectively than the scull did.
Dick uses a scull as a buoy to tire the albicore.
“It had been divided from the body as if with a huge pair of shears.”
The albicore's head was cleanly severed from its body.
A shark steals Dick's catch, leaving only the head.