Boy Overboard

by

Morris Gleitzman

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Boy Overboard makes teaching easy.

The Sailor in Yellow Overalls Character Analysis

The sailor in the yellow overalls is a crew member on the smuggler’s ship and an antagonist of Jamal and the other children. Jamal and Bibi first meet him while trying to get help for Omar, who is drowning in the water. Instead of helping them, however, he hits Jamal and throws Bibi into the water. Though he pulls them out before they drown, the man remains an enemy throughout the rest of their journey on the boat, denying them food and demanding money from them. Bibi in particular hates him, calling him a “selfish camel-snot,” though by the end of the story she feels more sympathetically towards him.
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The Sailor in Yellow Overalls Character Timeline in Boy Overboard

The timeline below shows where the character The Sailor in Yellow Overalls appears in Boy Overboard. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 21
Identity and Ancestry Theme Icon
...and Jamal screams for help. No one hears him, however, so he runs to a sailor in yellow overhauls . Jamal explains the situation, but the man does not understand. Jamal grabs the man’s... (full context)
Chapter 22
Identity and Ancestry Theme Icon
...Australia. He sees Bibi next to him on the boat and pulls her close. The sailor in the yellow overalls grins at him and unhooks his hook from Bibi’s clothes. (full context)
Chapter 23
Immigration, Family, and Home Theme Icon
Hope  Theme Icon
...the other boat to turn around. They look for smugglers but can’t find any. The sailor in the yellow overalls confronts them and Bibi starts hitting him again. He starts to come for them, but... (full context)
Chapter 24
Immigration, Family, and Home Theme Icon
Gender and Discrimination Theme Icon
Unfortunately, the sailor serving the food— the sailor in the yellow overalls —refuses to give the girl soup because of the fire, and Bibi yells at him... (full context)
Chapter 25
Immigration, Family, and Home Theme Icon
...seeing that she has three small children. The teenage girl jokes to Bibi that the man in yellow overalls needs someone to “teach him a lesson.” She introduces herself as Rashida and Bibi points... (full context)
Chapter 28
Immigration, Family, and Home Theme Icon
...trip. Everyone on the boat starts yelling and crying. The smugglers hold clubs and the sailor in yellow overalls walks around collecting the additional money in a bucket. Those who refuse are threatened and... (full context)
Immigration, Family, and Home Theme Icon
...neither do he and Bibi. Jamal tries to offer his remaining loaves of bread to the sailor in the yellow overalls , but the sailor throws them overboard. Rashida pulls out a watch, however, and says... (full context)
Chapter 41
Immigration, Family, and Home Theme Icon
...Ocean. Their parents ask Jamal and Bibi about their journey and their mom calls the sailor in yellow overalls a “selfish camel-snot.” Bibi says that Rashida says some people are “camel snots” because of... (full context)