Bowditch is presented as a person who values the care and support that he receives and returns it in kind. He responds to his educational opportunities and shares what he has learned; like Chaucer’s scholar, “gladly would he learn and gladly teach.” On board ship, he finds that teaching the cabin boy, the common sailors, and the second mate engages him, clarifies his thoughts, and creates skilled and self-respecting individuals as well. Responding to acts of love and care, as well as of friendship and encouragement, young Bowditch returns the love and care offered by his sisters and the two women he marries—Elizabeth and, after her death, her cousin Polly—thus enriching both his life and theirs.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is especially valuable for young people because, while the concrete detail and the drama of the evolving personality never allow the book to seem didactic, it touches the moral consciousness of the reader. Latham describes the way in which Bowditch’s positive attitude shapes his direction. Instead of submitting to despair at the setback of his dream, Bowditch follows good advice and learns what is presented to him. His appetite for learning grows, revealing how one idea of discovery leads to another. For the author, Bowditch personifies the evolution of a scientific discovery, as well as the development of character. The young reader is shown that learning is exciting and transforming: It makes life interesting, and it also distracts from anger, frustration, or grief. Furthermore, as seen in Bowditch himself and in his students—Dan Keeler, Lem Harvey, and Lupe Sanchez—learning develops self-confidence and self-respect.

While Latham’s biography clearly depicts the moral and intellectual growth of Bowditch, it is also an exciting tale of adventures, both mental and physical. Bowditch’s intellectual adventures—exploring the wonder of the encyclopedia, recognizing his ability to write an almanac at the age of twelve, discovering a new way to calculate a lunar distance, and locating errors in the old navigation handbook—are exciting. Equally exciting are the physical adventures, as Bowditch sails on vessels that rely on and provide little protection from unpredictable seas. Sailors can fall prey to privateers, enemy ships, and yellow fever. The real test of Bowditch’s knowledge and skill is described at the end of this book, when he is challenged by fog so dense that he cannot see his hand in front of his face, yet successfully navigates by the book—his book—into Salem harbor.