# XXIX explained — Two Years Before the Mast > Chapter companion for Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr.. ## What happens The chapter describes the final preparations for departure from California, including loading the last hides, the exchange of crew members between ships, and the emotional farewell to the brig. The narrator reflects on the mixed feelings of leaving the ship that had been his home for a year, while also expressing relief at finally heading home to Boston. The chapter also includes a detailed account of a young midshipman's story and the crew's reading of 'Woodstock' during a day of enforced idleness. ## Themes in this chapter ### Labor and Economy The chapter focuses on the final stages of loading hides, the economic motivations behind the voyage, and the crew's labor in preparing the ship for departure, highlighting the harsh realities of maritime trade. ### Transformation and Identity The narrator reflects on his transformation from a landsman to a sailor, and the chapter explores the identity of the young midshipman, whose background and mental state raise questions about class and upbringing. ### Isolation and Longing The crew's longing for home is a central theme, with the narrator expressing relief at leaving California and the emotional farewell to the ship and shipmates, underscoring the isolation of life at sea. ## Character check-ins ### Richard Henry Dana Jr. The narrator is central to the chapter, describing his feelings of relief and regret as the ship prepares to leave California, and his role in facilitating the exchange of crew members. ### Ben (English Ben) Ben is the crew member who is desperate to leave California and is the subject of the exchange arrangement, with the narrator helping to find a volunteer to take his place. ### Harry Bluff Harry Bluff volunteers to exchange places with Ben, motivated by pity and the prospect of having 'cruising money' for the rest of his stay. ### Tom Harris Harris is the narrator's old watchmate who leaves the ship via a prior exchange, and the narrator expresses sorrow at parting with him. ### Mr. S⸺ Mr. S⸺ is the narrator's friend who comes aboard after exchanging places with Harris, and the two congratulate each other on their shared journey home. ## Key lines > I had yet a feeling of regret at taking the last look at the old craft in which I had spent a year, and the first year, of my sailor's life—which had been my first home in the new world into which I had entered—and with which I had associated so many things—my first leaving home, my first crossing the equator, Cape Horn, Juan Fernandez, death at sea, and other things, serious and common. Despite feeling relieved to leave, the narrator felt a sense of loss when saying goodbye to the ship that had been his home for his first year as a sailor, a vessel tied to many significant memories. _This passage captures the narrator's bittersweet emotions as he prepares to depart from California._ > I had determined not to go myself, happen what would, and I knew that the captain would not dare to attempt to force me. The narrator was resolute in his decision not to stay in California, confident that the captain would not try to compel him. _This shows the narrator's firm resolve and his understanding of the power dynamics on the ship._ > The same boat carried off Harris, my old watchmate, who had previously made an exchange with my friend S⸺. I was sorry to part with Harris. Nearly two hundred hours (as we had calculated it) had we walked the ship's deck together, at anchor watch, when all hands were below, and talked over and over every subject which came within the ken of either of us. The narrator felt sadness at losing his watchmate Harris, with whom he had spent countless hours talking during anchor watches. _This highlights the close bonds formed between sailors during long voyages._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xxix - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters