Carry on, Mr. Bowditch | Literary Qualities
Latham writes such natural, lively dialogue that Carry On, Mr. Bowditch reads like a novel, and readers may forget that it has a firm basis in fact. She gives her characters distinctive speech patterns and favorite phrases that effectively convey their attitudes and personalities. For instance, Ben Meeker always talks about his being "becalmed," a seaman's phrase for going nowhere. In Zack Selby's conversations, he frequently belittles "sailing by the book." The reader thus gets to know each character through the use of dialogue that establishes his or her frame of...
[The entire page is 355 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Tell a friend about Carry on, Mr. Bowditch at eNotes.
