Two Years Before the Mast · Chapter
VII explained
The Pilgrim arrives at Juan Fernandez after 103 days at sea.
What happens
The Pilgrim arrives at Juan Fernandez after 103 days at sea. The narrator describes the island's beauty, its history as a penal colony for Chile, and the crew's interactions with the governor, soldiers, and convicts. They take on water, trade tobacco for fruit, and depart at nightfall, leaving the narrator with a lasting romantic attachment to the island.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Encounter and Otherness
The narrator encounters a foreign penal colony with Spanish-speaking convicts, a Chilean governor, and a Catholic priest, highlighting cultural differences.
Isolation and Longing
The crew's 103-day voyage without sight of land, and the narrator's emotional attachment to the island, underscore themes of isolation and longing for home.
Justice and Cruelty
The convicts are kept in caves, guarded by soldiers, and forced to work under taskmasters with rods, illustrating harsh penal practices.
Characters to notice
- Richard Henry Dana Jr.
Describes his first sight of land, his eagerness to go ashore, and his lasting attachment to the island.
- Mr. S⸺
Shares the narrator's eagerness to go ashore; both are laughed at by the crew.
- Captain Thompson
Orders the quarter boat lowered and later hosts the governor and suite for dinner.
- Mr. Russell
The mate who identifies the sound of the 'Alerta' as Spanish soldiers guarding convicts.
Key passages
“I shall never forget the peculiar sensation which I experienced on finding myself once more surrounded by land, feeling the night breeze coming from off shore, and hearing the frogs and crickets.”
The narrator vividly recalls the strange feeling of being near land again after months at sea, with the sounds of nature and the land breeze.
Highlights the emotional impact of reaching land after a long voyage.
“I did then, and have ever since, felt an attachment for that island, altogether peculiar.”
The narrator developed a unique and lasting fondness for Juan Fernandez.
Expresses the narrator's personal and romantic connection to the island.
“The worst part of the convicts, I found, were locked up under sentry in caves dug into the side of the mountain, nearly halfway up, with mule tracks leading to them, whence they were taken by day and set to work under taskmasters upon building an aqueduct, a wharf, and other public works.”
The most dangerous convicts were imprisoned in caves halfway up the mountain and forced to labor on public projects during the day.
Describes the harsh conditions of the penal colony.