Toilers of the Sea · Chapter
The Old Story of Utopia explained
This chapter recounts the early resistance to steamboats in the Channel Islands during the 1820s, framing the invention as a radical novelty opposed by both religious authorities and common fishermen.
What happens
This chapter recounts the early resistance to steamboats in the Channel Islands during the 1820s, framing the invention as a radical novelty opposed by both religious authorities and common fishermen. It describes how the first steamboat was called the 'Devil Boat' and condemned from pulpits, while even the Academy of Sciences dismissed the idea as absurd. Against this backdrop, Mess Lethierry emerges as a singular visionary daring to establish a steam-vessel route between Guernsey and St. Malo.
Themes in this chapter
Superstition vs. Progress
The chapter contrasts the superstitious rejection of steamboats by fishermen, priests, and even scientists with Mess Lethierry's progressive vision, highlighting the tension between tradition and innovation.
Social Class and Reputation
The resistance to steamboats is tied to the social and religious identity of the Channel Islanders, while Lethierry's daring sets him apart as an independent thinker of unusual reputation.
Characters to notice
- Mess Lethierry
Portrayed as the lone independent thinker and hardy mariner capable of conceiving and executing the steamboat enterprise between Guernsey and St. Malo.
Key passages
“A steamboat was a prodigious novelty in the waters of the Channel in 182‒.”
In the 1820s, a steamboat was an astonishing new sight in the English Channel.
Sets the historical context for the chapter's exploration of resistance to technological change.
“The first steam-vessel which made its appearance received the name of the “Devil Boat.””
The first steamboat seen in the Channel Islands was called the 'Devil Boat' by locals.
Illustrates the superstitious hostility toward steamboats in the region.
“The savants had rejected steamboats as impossible; the priests had anathematised them as impious.”
Scientists declared steamboats impossible, while religious authorities condemned them as blasphemous.
Highlights the dual opposition from science and religion against progress.
“No one but Mess Lethierry, perhaps, could have been found at that early period daring enough to dream of such an enterprise as the establishment of a steam-vessel between Guernsey and St. Malo.”
Only Mess Lethierry had the boldness to envision and attempt running a steamboat service between Guernsey and St. Malo at that time.
Emphasizes Lethierry's unique role as a visionary and pioneer.