The theme I got from reading Children of the Sea was hope versus reality. The ship was the changes to escape all the violence in Haiti to live in the United States. The reality of the boat was time is of the essence, with all the leaks and not enough tar to cover the holes, it was a matter of time before the ship takes on to much water and will eventually sink.
Celianne was another symbol of hope; being pregnant the unborn child was a sign of new life which everyone on the ship wanted. Just like the boat sinking, it was only a matter of time she was going to give birth. The night of Celianne giving birth I found it ironic because the male narrator mentions about the holes in the boat and who would be thrown overboard if the stimulation got worse.
The reality of how Celianne got pregnant wasn’t a blessing but a burden, being raped against her will by the soldiers. The birth of the child was a turning point, the hope for new beginnings slowly drifted away. Celianne’s baby girl was dead, and she was forced to throw her new born overboard. As Celianne throws her baby over board it was as if she threw the last ounce of hope for survival too. The captain used the last bit of tar, the reality that the ship may not make it set in so he concluded his journal with his personal will. What little hope he had was lost at the bottom of the sea.
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