Two Years Before the Mast · Chapter
Endnotes explained
This chapter consists of endnotes providing definitions, explanations, and clarifications for terms and references used throughout the narrative.
What happens
This chapter consists of endnotes providing definitions, explanations, and clarifications for terms and references used throughout the narrative. It covers nautical terminology, historical and literary allusions, cultural practices, and editorial annotations that enrich the reader's understanding of the text.
Themes in this chapter
Labor and Economy
Endnotes detail the economic aspects of sailor life, including the provision of stores by ship owners and the sailors' self-supply of utensils and tools.
Hardship and Endurance
Notes describe the simple, communal eating arrangements in the forecastle and the lack of tables or plates, framing these as matters of choice rather than hardship.
Characters to notice
- Richard Henry Dana Jr.
The author provides explanatory notes on sailor life, including eating customs and shipboard practices.
Key passages
“These particulars are not looked upon as hardships, and, indeed, may be considered matters of choice.”
These details are not seen as difficult conditions; rather, they are chosen by the sailors themselves.
Dana emphasizes that the simple eating habits on board are a practical and voluntary aspect of sailor life.
“Sailors, in our merchantmen, furnish their own eating utensils, as they do many of the instruments which they use in the ship’s work, such as knives, palms and needles, marlinespikes, rubbers, etc.”
In American merchant ships, sailors provide their own eating tools and many work tools, including knives, sewing gear, and other equipment.
This note explains the self-reliance of sailors in equipping themselves for both meals and duties.