In The Cay, Phillip is initially excited that the war, which he has heard so much about but has never experienced, has eventually reached the island of Curacao. He is the narrator and gives rich descriptions about his surroundings and other people, revealing that he is very aware of his surroundings, but he does not reveal much about himself. However, he is proud of his twelve years and is offended when he is treated like a little boy. He would seem to be average height for his age, him fitting comfortably in the hut that Timothy makes them. 

He lives with his parents in Curacao which is in the Caribbean after his father was required to move from Virginia, America to do his part for the "war effort," working to increase aviation fuel production. Phillip is very over-protected by his mother who always has concerns that he will get hurt whereas his father would rather Phillip knows the dangers and understands the truth. Phillip and his best friend, Henrik do lots of exploring since Phillip's father rarely has time for fishing or sailing anymore. Phillip describes Henrik as having a round face and being "chubby" with "straw-colored hair" and red cheeks. 

After the boat in which Phillip and his mother are returning to America is torpedoed, Phillip finds himself in the company of Timothy who is "very old" with the whitest teeth and "pink-purple lips" with a face that "couldn't have been blacker." Over time, Phillip learns to trust and respect Timothy and his "stubborn" nature. After going blind, Phillip enjoys the feel of the rain because it is something he can "hear and feel." He questions Timothy as to why people have different colors of skin and Timothy equates it to flowers being different colors and reminds Phillip that beneath the skin, Phillip as a white boy and Timothy as a black man, "is all d'same."  

As time goes by, Timothy suggests that Phillip is strong enough to climb the coconut trees and Phillip does wonder about his appearance (in chapter 10). Although he can't see, he knows that he looks scruffy as his clothes are 'in tatters." He knows his hair is messy and "ropy" with no possibility of even trying to comb it. As he is blind, Phillip also wonders about his eyes and Timothy informs hi that "Dey stare." Phillip gets around the island with the help of a cane which Timothy makes for him and Phillip admits to a few scratches and a renewed sense of independence which he needs as Timothy gets increasingly sick.  

After the hurricane, Timothy, having protected Phillip, dies and Phillip is left alone with Stew Cat to fend for himself. Timothy has taught Phillip how to survive and time has passed that Phillip's skin is "very dark now" and his hair is long. After he is rescued, Phillip is reunited with his parents  and eventually regains his sight after three operations. 

Phillip Enright is an eleven year old boy living on the island of Curacao in the Dutch West Indies. Phillip, who narrates the story, does not give the reader much information concerning his physical characteristics. He is white, fairly athletic, and spends a great deal of time fishing and sailing with his father and taking long walks around different parts of the island. After Phillip's blindness, his hearing becomes more acute. Phillip is well under six feet tall, since he can stand up in the hut that Timothy builds on the cay; Timothy, who is very tall, cannot stand inside without his head hitting the thatched roof. Phillip's clothes eventually become "tatters," and his hair feels "ropy." Phillip shows his strength when he is able to pull Timothy from the water while he is suffering from "d'fever," but his greatest accomplishment is when he finally summons the courage to climb the palm tree to retrieve the fresh coconuts.   

In The Cay, what are some of Phillip's traits? Give specific examples.

Philip Enright, the protagonist of The Cay, is eleven years old and lives on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. In this World War II-era novel, Philip is energetic and considers himself patriotic, as shown by his playing war games in which he and his friends combat the Germans. More curious than concerned about the possibility that German submarines will attack the island, he goes to the harbor in search of the U-Boats. Philip is also willful, preferring to pursue his own interests with his friends and disobeying his mother’s instructions. Overall, in the early part of the book, he is immature and self-centered.

After he leaves the island with his family, Philip has to mature in spite of himself. Slightly injured after escaping from the torpedoed ship, he frets over the wound; sharing a raft with an older man, at first he does not pull his weight and expects Timothy to care for him. When Philip’s health deteriorates, as he loses his sight, he is actually dependent on Timothy. However, Philip, who is white, is also prejudiced against black people because of his upbringing and social situation; he thinks of all black people as his social subordinates. He is disrespectful and insolent to the older man, who loses his temper and strikes him. From that point on, Philip is more realistic about their relationship. Finally, Timothy dies, and the boy must become self-sufficient.

In The Cay, what are some of Phillip's traits? Give specific examples.

Phillip really is a wonderful character, and a large part of why is because of how much change he goes through over the course of the story. When readers are first introduced to Phillip, we are not meant to like him. He really is a mean-spirited, entitled brat of a child. Phillip tells his own mother that he hates her in chapter 2, and he lets readers know that his best friend, Henrik, annoys him. Phillip is also quite racist, and his initial treatment of Timothy is beyond horrible. Even after Phillip is stranded on the island, he still feels entitled enough to demand that Timothy do most of the work.

Fortunately, Timothy is patient with Phillip, and Phillip eventually turns over a new leaf. As time passes on the island, Phillip becomes a hard worker who is willing to do his share. He gains both confidence and bravery. Despite his blindness, he climbs tall trees for supplies. Phillip is also teachable. He always was teachable; however, Phillip had to humble himself in order to be taught by Timothy. Phillip took those lessons to heart, and that wound up being a life-saver, because Phillip eventually has to survive on his own. Once on his own, Phillip shows readers that he has a spirit of perseverance and determination.