Student Question
Why was Spark thrown overboard by the captain in The Slave Dancer?
Quick answer:
Spark was thrown overboard by the captain in The Slave Dancer because he shot a slave who had attacked him, thereby reducing the captain's potential profit. The captain prioritized financial gain over crew safety and punished Spark to maintain the value of his human "cargo." While beatings were tolerated, killing a slave was unacceptable to the captain, as it directly impacted his earnings.
Interesting question! In the book The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, the captain ordered Nicholas Spark to be thrown overboard.
Before Spark was thrown overboard, Spark was attacked by one of the slaves on the ship. Spark could have been strangled by the slave, but one of his fellow crewmen intervened. Consequently, the slave was whipped to the point of unconsciousness. Despite the slave’s punishment, Spark later shot the slave who attacked him.
Consequently, the captain ordered Spark to be thrown overboard. Although Jessie did not initially understand the captain’s motives, the captain had his own selfish intentions. The captain did not want to lose profit by killing the slave that attacked Spark. From the captain’s perspective, the slave's life represented personal profit. As the text reveals:
“Don’t you see? There went the profit!”
Therefore, Spark was thrown overboard due to his destruction of the captain’s profit. Although beatings and hangings of the slaves were allowed, that captain did not want the slaves to be shot. Rather, he wanted to protect his personal profit.
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