# XVIII explained — The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

> Chapter companion for The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe.

## What happens

The Jane Guy continues southward, encountering strange phenomena including a constant current toward the pole, unusual wildlife, and a group of islands inhabited by black-skinned natives. Pym and the crew interact with the chief Too-wit and his men, who display both friendliness and superstitious awe toward the ship and its contents. Captain Guy is persuaded by Pym to limit their stay and push further south.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Unknown and Cosmic Horror

The strange water, novel trees, and alien landscape create a sense of encountering a world fundamentally different from the known, foreshadowing deeper horrors.

### Race and Otherness

The depiction of the black-skinned natives, their language, customs, and superstitious reactions to the white crew and ship highlight themes of racial difference and cultural misunderstanding.

## Character check-ins

### Arthur Gordon Pym

Pym observes the southern current and wildlife, persuades Captain Guy to limit the stay and continue southward, and accompanies the landing party.

### Dirk Peters

Peters is part of the armed party that goes ashore to explore the island.

### Captain Guy

Captain Guy is initially alarmed by the southern current but is persuaded by Pym; he leads the interaction with Too-wit and agrees to a short stay.

### Too-wit

The chief of the islanders, who boards the Jane Guy, shows superstitious fear of mirrors and the ship, and guides the crew to the island.

### Jane Guy

The schooner is treated as a living creature by the natives, who show it reverence and attempt to 'heal' a gash in its deck.

## Key lines

> This constant tendency to the southward, both in the wind and current, caused some degree of speculation, and even of alarm, in different quarters of the schooner, and I saw distinctly that no little impression had been made upon the mind of Captain Guy.

The persistent southward drift of wind and current sparked worry and debate among the crew, and Pym noticed it clearly troubled Captain Guy.

_Highlights the growing unease about the unnatural pull toward the pole._

> We saw nothing with which we had been formerly conversant. The trees resembled no growth of either the torrid, the temperate, of the northern frigid zones, and were altogether unlike those of the lower southern latitudes we had already traversed.

Every plant and tree was unfamiliar, unlike anything from known climates or even the southern regions they had passed through.

_Emphasizes the alien and otherworldly nature of the island._

> The chief immediately ran up, and pushing the cook on one side rather roughly, commenced a half whine, half howl, strongly indicative of sympathy in what he considered the sufferings of the schooner, patting and smoothing the gash with his hand, and washing it from a bucket of seawater which stood by.

Too-wit rushed over, shoved the cook aside, and began whimpering and howling as if the ship were hurt, gently stroking and washing the gash in the deck.

_Illustrates the natives' belief that the ship is a living being, and their childlike or superstitious behavior._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xviii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters