Travel Essays · Chapter
The Second Cabin explained
The narrator describes his fellow passengers and the conditions aboard the emigrant ship, focusing on the second cabin where he travels.
What happens
The narrator describes his fellow passengers and the conditions aboard the emigrant ship, focusing on the second cabin where he travels. He details the ship's layout, the food, the social dynamics, and introduces several notable characters, including Mr. Jones, a newly-married couple, an old lady obsessed with her watch, and a group of Scandinavians.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
The chapter highlights the subtle but significant class distinctions on the ship, from the brass plate that declares the narrator a 'gentleman' to the differences in food and bedding between steerage and second cabin.
Human Connection and Community
Despite initial suspicion, the narrator forms bonds with fellow passengers like Mr. Jones and the Scandinavians, and observes the dynamics of couples and families.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Jones
The narrator's excellent friend; a Welsh blacksmith who has been to sea, now a widower and impoverished, but forward-looking.
- O'Reilly
A fine young Irishman among the second cabin passengers.
- The English
A pair of young men, one Scots and one ashamed Irishman, who disgrace themselves at the table.
Key passages
“I first encountered my fellow-passengers on the Broomielaw in Glasgow. Thence we descended the Clyde in no familiar spirit, but looking askance on each other as on possible enemies.”
The narrator first met his fellow passengers at the Broomielaw in Glasgow, and they traveled down the Clyde with mutual suspicion.
Describes the initial atmosphere of distrust among the emigrants.
“The second cabin, to return, is thus a modified oasis in the very heart of the steerages.”
The second cabin is a small, improved area surrounded by the steerage compartments.
Explains the location and relative comfort of the second cabin.
“I knew I liked Mr. Jones from the moment I saw him. I thought him by his face to be Scottish; nor could his accent undeceive me.”
The narrator immediately took a liking to Mr. Jones, assuming he was Scottish based on his appearance and accent.
Introduces Mr. Jones and the narrator's initial impression.