Analysis
Historical Context
The History of Lamu, Kenya
Lamu, a Swahili town located on Lamu Island off Kenya's northeastern coast, is
the oldest settlement in East Africa. Some historians suggest that Arabs first
arrived on the island as early as the 11th century, introducing their culture,
language, and the Islamic faith. In the 1500s, following the arrival of the
Portuguese, Lamu became a vibrant port exporting timber, various spices, ivory,
and slaves to Europe and the Far East. By the 18th century, the slave trade had
become the primary economic activity. However, the abolition of slavery in the
19th century led to a significant economic decline. In the mid-19th century,
Lamu fell under the rule of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which governed the
coastal regions until Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963. By the
late 20th century, Lamu retained much of its 19th-century charm, largely
untouched by modern technology. The island, home to around four thousand
residents, has no cars and adheres strictly to Islamic traditions. Visitors are
encouraged to respect conservative dress codes. The languages spoken on Lamu
include English, Swahili, and Arabic, while Kenya as a whole boasts forty-two
indigenous languages.
Medicinal Uses of Cone Venom
In the past, cone shell meat was considered a delicacy, and people worldwide
gathered these shells for consumption. By the twentieth century, scuba divers
became aware of the dangers of picking up cone-shaped shells from the ocean
floor due to their harpoon-like mechanism that delivers paralyzing venom to
their prey or threats. These slow-moving creatures developed this ability to
immobilize their prey, allowing them to consume it without resistance. If a
diver is stung, the venom can paralyze the hand and, in severe cases, lead to
respiratory paralysis and death. However, in the 1970s, researchers in the
United States began investigating the venom for potential medical benefits.
During that time and into the following two decades, studies focused on
isolating specific chemicals known as conotoxins from the venom. These
substances interrupt nerve cell communication, causing paralysis. Medical
researchers are interested in conotoxins for their potential pain-relief
properties. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, numerous scientific articles
discussed the various types of conotoxins and their possible medical uses. In
2004, the FDA approved ziconotide, a drug derived from a conotoxin, for
treating severe pain. This medication is a synthetic version of the conotoxin
from the cone snail Conus magus. Researchers have stated that ziconotide
is a thousand times more potent than morphine. In the early 2000s,
pharmacological research continued to develop other synthetic painkillers based
on cone shell venom. Ziconotide and similar medications are administered
directly into the spinal cord to treat chronic pain, epilepsy, seizures, and
sometimes schizophrenia. The peptides in the venom affect the channels that
regulate nerve and muscle activity. While shell collectors admire the perfect
cone shell for its aesthetic appeal, pharmacologists appreciate the lethal
venom for its potential therapeutic value.
Style and Technique
Setting
“The Shell Collector” unfolds on the northern coast of Kenya, close to Lamu Island. This location is ideal for a solitary shell collector, far removed from Western influences. It offers abundant natural treasures for a man passionate about marine life, who has retreated from the academic and urban lifestyle he once led in his middle years. In this region, nature remains largely untouched by modern technology, with the exception of motorboats that pose a threat to the coral reefs. Additionally, the area lacks access to contemporary medical advancements, posing challenges for those who contract malaria or suffer injuries from natural occurrences, such as encounters with fire coral. This setting is rich in marine biodiversity, illustrating how people coexist with and are...
(This entire section contains 804 words.)
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subject to the whims of nature, and highlighting the prevalent risk of malaria. The appearance of media personnel from Great Britain or the United States would be unusual in such a secluded location, and their arduous journey would imply the significance they place on the local phenomena as a noteworthy story. The reports of miraculous events, coupled with Josh's remark that U.S. scientists are “trying to isolate some of the toxins and give them to stroke victims. To combat paralysis,” indicate that the narrative likely occurs in the 1970s or early 1980s, a period when research into the medicinal potential of cone shell venom was beginning in the United States.
Characterization
The shell collector's blindness limits his ability to describe himself and
others, relying instead on his other senses. He perceives the world through
sound and touch rather than sight, so descriptions in the story often stem from
these senses. For instance, he recognizes that the Jims are unaccustomed to the
heat through their handshakes, which feel “slick and hot.” On their first
night, as they sleep in their bags, the collector hears “siafu feasting on the
big men.” The following day, as they trail him to the shore, he notices the New
Yorkers' lack of fitness by the way they pant “to keep up.” While they depend
on their vision to watch the thorns along the path, the nimble collector
confidently navigates by touch. Similarly, when the Muslims arrive, eager to
convince him to use the cone shell to heal the mwadhini’s daughter, he discerns
their number by the unique noises of their attire, “these ocean Muslims in
their rustling kanzus and squeaking flip-flops.” He also detects the scent of
their trades, “each stinking of his work—gutted perch, fertilizer, hull-tar.”
The mwadhini is portrayed through his voice, which carries “an astonishing
faith, in the slow and beautiful way it trilled sentences, in the way it
braided each syllable.” The collector's surprise at finding his son living in
the kibanda is conveyed through sensory details: It was unusual “to hear him
unzip his huge duffel bags, to come across his Schick razor . . . [hear him]
chug papaya juice, scrub pans, wipe down counters.” When the three boys are
invited to dinner in the kibanda, the collector notes: “they shifted and bobbed
in their chairs and clacked their silverware against the table edge like
drummers.” Hashish dangerously numbs the collector’s senses, disorienting and
confusing him. In this dulled and therefore particularly vulnerable state, he
suffers a sting he would have easily avoided if sober. Regaining his senses,
feeling the shells beneath his feet again, and sensing Seema's presence without
seeing her marks his return to health. Though blind, by the end, the collector
is fully in control of his other finely honed senses.
Beyond experiencing the world through his senses, the collector's understanding is influenced by his formal education and career in North America, as well as his time in Kenya. His worldview is shaped by his knowledge and education. Interestingly, the collector has, in some ways, become similar to the subjects he studies. "A stonefish sting once corroded the skin off the sole of the shell collector's own heel, leaving it smooth and without prints." Much like a "printless" snail, he navigates the lagoon cautiously, taking care not to disturb the coral reef and remaining vigilant of the dangerous creatures nearby. The collector is like a shelled animal, armored and withdrawn, acutely aware and generally very self-defensive. The supposed miraculous cures attract strangers to this place. These visitors also come to observe the collector, viewing him as a unique nature healer who cures with poison. They are seemingly drawn by something more subtle, something expanding "outward from the shell collector himself, the way a shell grows, spiraling upward from the inside, whorling around its inhabitant." In this regard, the collector is inclined to ponder whether some inherent force within him has attracted Josh to this place as well, a force that, despite his extensive knowledge, he cannot prevent, and whose tragic consequences he cannot avert, despite all his warnings.
Bibliography
Sources
Appelo, Tim, Review of The Shell Collector: Stories, in Seattle
Weekly, July 9, 2003, http://www.seattleweekly.com/arts/0328/arts-books.php
(retrieved November 1, 2006).
Doerr, Anthony, “The Shell Collector,” in The Shell Collector: Stories, Scribner, 2002, pp. 9–39.
Review of The Shell Collector: Stories, in Kirkus Reviews, Vol. 69, No. 220, November 15, 2001, p. 1566.
Review of The Shell Collector: Stories, in Library Journal, Vol. 127, No. 1, January 2002, p. 156.
Review of The Shell Collector: Stories, in New York Times Book Review, Vol. 107, No. 10, March 10, 2002, p. 22.
Review of The Shell Collector: Stories, in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 248, No. 48, November 26, 2001, p. 39.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Erdman, Sarah, Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an
African Village, Holt, 2003. This book offers an insightful depiction of an
Ivory Coast village, where Sarah Erdman spent two years. She portrays a
community where sorcerers still practice magic, electricity is a rarity, and
the impact of AIDS is devastating. Erdman was the first white person to live
there since the French colonists.
Lytle, Mark, Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and the Rise of the Environmental Movement, Oxford University Press, 2006. This biography traces Rachel Carson's journey as a scientist, her passion for the sea, and her increasing environmental awareness, culminating in her pivotal work, Silent Spring, which sparked the environmental movement in America.
Romashko, Sandra D., The Shell Book: A Complete Guide to Collecting and Identifying, Windward Publishing, 1992. This widely-read book serves as a resource for shell collectors, providing identification guidance through color photographs of shells from shores such as the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and the West Indies.
Sill, Cathryn P., About Mollusks, Peachtree Publishers, 2005. Authored by an elementary school teacher for young audiences, this book explains mollusks, their habitats, and behaviors. It features beautiful illustrations by the author’s husband, John Sill.
Thomsen, Moritz, Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle, University of Washington Press, 2003. At forty-eight, Thomsen joined the Peace Corps and moved to Ecuador. His narrative is both humorously poignant and melancholic, with vivid descriptions of the Ecuadorian landscape.
