# II: Much Astonishment on the Western Coast explained — Toilers of the Sea

> Chapter companion for Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo.

## What happens

On the night following a tempest, the western coast of Guernsey is filled with astonishment as various observers—a fisherman, a carter, a plasterer, a gatherer of crayfish, a tavern-keeper, lovers, a landowner, a trawler, the keeper of Li-Hou, a serjeant at Castle Rocquaine, and smugglers—all spot a mysterious sailing vessel navigating dangerous waters at unusual hours. The chapter ends with a boy from the new rector, Reverend Ebenezer Caudray, seeking the occupant of the Bû de la Rue, who is not at home.

## Themes in this chapter

### Superstition vs. Progress

The chapter opens with the superstition that a cock crowing at noonday causes fishing to be suspended, and later the keeper of Li-Hou interprets the mysterious sail as the Black Lady, contrasting rational explanations with supernatural beliefs.

### The Sublime and Terrible Ocean

The dangerous navigation of the unknown vessel through treacherous rocks and channels, observed by multiple witnesses, evokes the sublime and perilous nature of the sea.

## Character check-ins

### Rev. Mr. Caudray

Mentioned as the new rector who sent a boy to seek the man of the Bû de la Rue.

## Key lines

> A cock had been heard to crow at noonday. When the cock is heard to crow at an extraordinary hour, fishing is suspended.

A rooster crowing at noon was considered a bad omen, so no fishermen went out that night.

_Highlights the local superstition that governs the fishermen's behavior._

> The keeper of Li-Hou fancied that he had beheld the Black Lady.

The lighthouse keeper thought he saw the ghostly Black Lady, a local legend.

_Shows the supernatural interpretation of the mysterious sail._

> Where the devil can that boat be sailing? asked the smuggler.

A smuggler wondered where the strange boat was heading.

_Reflects the bewilderment of the observers._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/toilers_of_the_sea_se/chapters/ii-much-astonishment-on-the-western-coast
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/toilers_of_the_sea_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/toilers_of_the_sea_se/chapters