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Chapter 16: A Simple Matter of Mathematics
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Hard Work, Perseverance, and Success
Safety and Responsibility
Risk and Reward
The Growth and Development of America
Courage and Grief
Summary
Analysis
Feeling foolish, Nat tries to extricate himself from Elizabeth and David Farrel as quickly as possible. Fortunately, he must report to the Custom House and then to Mr. Derby’s office with Captain Prince. Mr. Derby frets over the looming possibility of war. At least, he says, Congress has finally authorized the construction of six frigates. It’s not much, but it’s the start of a proper navy. Because he respects Mr. Derby’s intelligence and foresight, Nat wants to hear more about what he thinks of the political situation, but a secretary interrupts to announce the arrival of Mr. Blunt, the American publisher preparing a new edition of Moore’s tables. He’s heard about the error Nat allegedly found and wants to know more.
The debate about creating a standing navy offers a pointed reminder that America, at this point in history, was still trying to find its footing and assert its place in a world that itself was in a state of flux. Danger lurks at sea, on shore, and in the geopolitics of a globe increasingly interconnected by intercontinental trade routes. Just as America stands at a turning point in this moment, so too does Nat, even if he doesn’t realize it. The introduction to Mr. Blunt inaugurates the next great project of Nat’s life, after his education and the beginning of his career at sea: his involvement with democratizing the navigational arts and making them as accessible and safe as possible for the benefit of all seafarers.
Themes
Nat asks which error—he’s found several by this point. Mr. Blunt’s jaw drops and he demands to know where Nat went to college. He’s shocked when Nat says he didn’t ever go to college. At this point, Captain Prince interjects to tell Mr. Blunt that he should also ask Nat about his new method for taking lunar sightings. A flabbergasted Mr. Blunt says he’s very interested and would also appreciate it if Nat would “cast his eye” over the tables to double check them prior to publication. Nat explodes: he didn’t just “cast his eye” over Moore’s tables; he checked each figure three times because “mathematics is nothing if it isn’t correct” and people’s lives depend on accurate navigation. Nat promises to call on Mr. Blunt in two weeks’ time, when he and Prince have finished disposing with the Astrea’s cargo.
Nat has just been feeling bad about himself in comparison to David Farrel because Nat lost his opportunity to attend Harvard. Yet, Mr. Blunt’s reaction proves that he’s given himself an education at least as good as he would have gotten there, pointing to the power of hard work and persistence in helping a person achieve success. But it’s not vanity that animates Nat, as his explosive anger in this conversation suggests. Instead, he wants to save as many sailors’ lives as possible by improving the accuracy of the navigational arts. He can’t change the dangers of the sea, but he can help prepare people to face them.
Themes
During the next two weeks, Nat thinks of Elizabeth often, but he puts off his visit, not yet willing to take on a platonic role in her life. Mr. Blunt’s book provides a welcome excuse to avoid her after he’s done with the Astrea’s business. Mr. Blunt confesses that, although he would like to have Nat’s corrections on all the tables, he’s already begun the process of printing the books. Some of the tables will remain as they are. Nat works the figures of the unprinted tables. But this fails to drive Elizabeth from his mind, too.
Nat has faced many obstacles with a cheerful disposition and happy face, yet he struggles to confront the possibility that Elizabeth might love another man. He hides from his problem, even though he recognizes on some level that running and hiding won’t make his problems go away. Even hard mental labor, previously his go-to cure for a distracted and unhappy mind, fails to help him.
Themes
Reverend Dr. Prince visits and reminds Nat to use the Salem Philosophical Library—the books miss having a reader who understands them as well as Nat, he says. Dr. Holyoke—a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Boston—visits to learn about Nat’s new lunar triangulation. He expresses gratitude for the opportunity to talk with an astronomer. Nat protests that he’s not one. Finally, Nat can put off his visit to the Boardman home no longer. The housekeeper tells him that Mrs. Boardman and Elizabeth are in Boston, along with David Farrel. She doesn’t know when to expect them back.
If Mr. Blunt’s earlier stupefaction over discovering that Nat hasn’t attended college wasn’t enough to prove the worth of his hard-earned, self-directed education, Mr. Holyoke’s visit confirms that Nat’s hard work has paid off. Despite his lack of formal education, other educated men respect him as a scholar and a self-made man. Still, without Elizabeth’s companionship, the praise seems hollow to Nat.
Themes
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Summer turns to fall, and finally Elizabeth returns and invites Nat to a husking bee. The morning of the party, Nat runs into David Farrel, who hints that he’s going to propose to Elizabeth that night. Nat’s heart breaks, yet he talks himself into going, willing his face to smile and his mouth to say the right things. Tradition says that whoever husks an ear of red corn gets to kiss the hostess. Farrel threatens to take 13 kisses when he finally gets a red ear, but Nat beats him to it. His heart sinks. He has imagined this kiss, but he wanted it to happen privately, as he told her romantic stories of his voyage and confessed his love.
Nat puts a cheerful face on to attend the husking bee, practicing a skill he perfected in childhood when his sense of responsibility toward his family helped—and forced—him to accept the obstacles he faced. Yet, inside, he feels as lost and lonely as ever.
Themes
Nat tries to put on a brave, joking face, but when Elizabeth turns to him and he looks in her eyes, he can do nothing other than say the truth. Telling her that he loves her, he kisses her. Then he pulls her to her feet and starts to lead her to the house so he can ask her mother for permission to marry her. As they reach the door, Polly declares she always knew Nat and Elizabeth would end up together. Elizabeth makes him stop just outside the barn door for a moment, and she asks him why the moon looks so big and beautiful. He accuses her of stalling, and after a moment she takes his hand, and they go inside.
Finally, after weeks and months of trying to run away, Nat faces his fears—figuratively and literally—when he comes face to face with Elizabeth at the husking bee. And when he turns to face her with courage and hope, he discovers—much to his delight—that his fear was ill-founded. Elizabeth loves him as much as he loves her. Now, he will have someone with whom he can face the uncertain future together, hand in hand.
Themes
Nat and Elizabeth marry the following March, just before his birthday. They spend several happy months together, marred only by news of other people’s tragedies at sea. When Elizabeth worries about Nat ever rounding the Cape of Good Hope again, he tries to allay her fears by telling her that the Mediterranean Sea holds far more danger, what with the Barbary Pirates and the French privateers. This plan backfires one day when Captain Prince talks him into signing on as supercargo with the Astrea again—on a quick voyage to the Mediterranean. Elizabeth flees upstairs and refuses to return until supper. And even then, their conversation remains strained.
The news of impending war and losses at sea contrasts with Nat and Elizabeth’s happiness in a way that reminds them—and readers—that life contains suffering and pain as well as happiness and joy. They find the courage to face it by appreciating their happiness now and accepting that they can’t know how long it will last. Elizabeth, perhaps because of the early loss of her father, struggles to accept the dangers of the sea as readily as Nat.
Themes
After supper, Lem Harvey knocks on the door, accompanied by his wife Amanda and brother-in-law, Zack Selby. Lem has signed as a second mate on a smaller ship, thanks to Nat’s support and teaching. When the Harveys leave, Elizabeth beams with pride and apologizes for her earlier fears. She promises to be brave, for Nat’s sake. For his part, Captain Prince regrets losing Lem, whose expertise on the guns would have been helpful on their upcoming voyage. This reminder of danger alarms Elizabeth, but she remembers her promise and stays as brave as she can, even up to the point of Nat’s departure. He promises to return soon and to teach her French when he gets back. But he feels a knot of fear in his own chest, too.
Although Elizabeth struggles to find courage, she ultimately makes a conscious choice to face the future rather than run away from it. And Nat’s own fears affirm her struggle; given life’s uncertainties, it can be difficult to face the future. But running away (like Father did many years ago) tends to bring more pain and suffering. Lem’s visit helps, too, because it confirms Nat’s navigational skills and reminds Elizabeth of the good things she has in her life right now, including a kind, generous husband she can be proud of. And Lem’s story reaffirms the value of hard work and perseverance, underscoring the American ideal that all people have innate dignity and worth.
Themes
