Time, Change, and Continuity Theme Analysis

At the beginning of Blueback, Abel Jackson is a 10-year-old boy who goes to school when he’s not diving in Longboat Bay or helping his mother take care of the land they live on. By the end of the novel, Abel has passed his 32nd birthday and become a marine biologist, husband, and father. While Abel grows up and experiences different changes throughout his life, Longboat Bay also changes alongside him. As a story about the passage of time, Blueback shows that change is a natural part of life. Some changes—such as meeting Blueback for the first time—are positive. But other changes that unfold around Abel sadden him. For instance, Mad Macka dies, Abel’s mother ages, and the sea starts to grow sick. If things change as time progresses, then good things can’t always stay the same. Dora Jackson expresses this same idea when she says, “Things aren’t the same, Abel. It’s getting harder to hold on to good things.” Sometimes, change is unwanted and difficult to deal with.

Despite the inevitability of change, Blueback illustrates the continuity of life as well. For example, Mad Macka’s boat has a new life with Abel, and Dora Jackson lives on through Abel’s daughter, whom Abel names after his mother. Additionally, Longboat Bay grows vibrant and full of sea life once more. These examples demonstrate that things, people, and nature can take on new life in new forms. In other words, life is cyclical. The novel’s own full circle ending, in which little Dora meets Blueback just as Abel did at the story’s opening, emphasizes that life always carries on. Ultimately, Blueback suggests that although time brings changes that can cause great sadness and suffering, such as death, life continues on in interconnected cycles.