Discussion Topic
Which two animals scare Phillip in Theodore Taylor's The Cay?
In Chapter 8 of Theodore Taylor's The Cay, Timothy
and Phillip begin settling on their island. After Timothy spends a few hours
building a hut for them to sleep in, he announces that he is going to go fish
on the reef for langosta, a type of lobster native to the Caribbean, for them
to eat. Phillip feels panicked and begs Timothy to take him
along, not wanting to left alone again like he had been when
Timothy had gone off on his own to explore the island in the previous chapter.
However, not knowing what dangers were on the reef, Timothy refuses, saying
Phillip would be safer waiting.
While Phillip waits, he feels petrified by every single noise he hears due to his blindness. He recognizes the sound of palm fronds rattling in the breeze and hears "other noises from the underbrush" he couldn't identify but was...
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sure the noises were not being made by Stew Cat. Feeling frightened makes him think of every possible danger, which is when hethinks of the two animals he is most afraid of--snakes and scorpions. He knows that snakes can be dangerous because they can be poisonous, whereas scorpions, which are "on most Caribbean islands," are deadly (p. 65).
Which two animals concern Timothy in The Cay?
Timothy is the St. Thomian sailor who helps young Phillip Enright Jr. when the two are shipwrecked in Theodore Taylor's novel, The Cay. In addition to saving Phillip when their ship is torpedoed by a German U-boat, Timothy also rescues Stew Cat, a feline who has also been stranded. The cat becomes the third member of the group on the remote cay. During their journey aboard the raft which eventually carries them to the safety of the little island, Timothy is highly concerned about the sharks which follow them for several days. After the blind Phillip falls off the raft, Timothy hauls him back aboard before the sharks can get to him. Later, on the island, Timothy warns Phillip about the large moray eel which inhabits the pool where they find much of their food. The eel eventually grabs Phillip's wrist before the boy is able to free himself.