Toilers of the Sea · Chapter
X: Long Yarns explained
Mess Lethierry's deep attachment to the Durande and its figurehead, carved to resemble Déruchette, is explored.
What happens
Mess Lethierry's deep attachment to the Durande and its figurehead, carved to resemble Déruchette, is explored. He finds superstitious joy in the ship's comings and goings, while Déruchette playfully chides him for his tarpaulin clothes. The chapter also recounts Lethierry's many fantastical tales from his voyages around the world.
Themes in this chapter
Superstition vs. Progress
Mess Lethierry's almost superstitious admiration for the Durande's figurehead, which he sees as a perfect likeness of Déruchette, contrasts with the steamboat's modern technology.
The Sublime and Terrible Ocean
Lethierry's tales of exotic and dangerous creatures (gorillas, giant ants, bats, hyenas) and faraway lands evoke the sublime and terrifying aspects of the sea and unknown territories.
Characters to notice
- Mess Lethierry
Shows superstitious admiration for the Durande's figurehead, which he believes resembles Déruchette; enjoys two weekly fête days watching the ship; wears seafaring clothes despite Déruchette's teasing; recounts many exotic travel stories.
- Déruchette
Playfully scolds Mess Lethierry for the smell of pitch and his tarpaulin coat; is amused by his long yarns about distant lands.
Key passages
“This unshapely block produced a great effect upon Mess Lethierry’s imagination. He looked upon it with an almost superstitious admiration. His faith in it was complete. He was able to trace in it an excellent resemblance to Déruchette.”
The crude wooden figurehead, though rough and misshapen, captivated Lethierry; he believed it perfectly captured Déruchette's likeness and regarded it with near-religious reverence.
Highlights Lethierry's superstitious devotion to the figurehead as a symbol of his niece and his ship.
“He had seen at Madagascar birds’ feathers, three of which sufficed to make a roof of a house. He had seen in India, field sorrel, the stalks of which were nine inches high.”
Lethierry claimed to have witnessed extraordinary natural wonders, such as bird feathers large enough to roof a house and sorrel stalks nine inches tall.
Illustrates the fantastical, almost mythical quality of Lethierry's travel stories.