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Chapter 7: The Almanac
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
In October of Nat’s 16th year, on a day when Salem is decked out in patriotic display for a visit from President Washington, Hab returns from sea. Nat catches him up on family news. Mr. Hodges lets Nat go early to see the president’s parade, and as the brothers walk through the milling crowds, Hab compares Nat's indenture to imprisonment, even though Ropes and Hodges are kind. Nat says he tries not to think about it. Early in the afternoon, President Washington and his parade pass the point where the boys stand, and they shout and cheer until their voices give out. And after the brief reprieve of Hab’s visit, Nat’s life settles back into its slow, steady progress.
The book uses this visit from George Washington—now president, not just general—to show the passing of time during Nat’s indenture. It also keeps readers’ focus on the way Nat’s personal life history marches in parallel with the country’s history; both have a great deal of promise that requires hard work and perseverance to achieve. And both declare the inherent dignity and equal opportunity presented to all citizens. Hab worries about Nat, but Nat, ever mindful of his responsibilities toward his family and Hab’s lesson that crying doesn’t fix problems, refuses to complain.
Themes
Nat works in the chandlery by day and reads Chambers’s Cyclopaedia by night. One day, he complains to Dr. Bentley that he likes its comprehensive breadth, but each time he reads an entry, he wishes for a whole book on the subject. For instance, astronomy. Dr. Bentley lends Nat his copy of Newton’s Principia (an astronomy text), and Nat discovers, much to his dismay, that it’s written in Latin. Surprised that Nat doesn’t know the language already, Dr. Bentley offers to help him learn it, with a grammar, a dictionary, and an edition of the Bible in Latin. The familiar words of scriptures Nat has memorized help guide him through the language, and within a few short months, Nat begins slowly and painfully but surely working his way through the Principia.
When Nat reaches the limit of what he can learn through one source, the educated men of Salem step up and give him what he needs to continue his education. Nat’s progress through Latin—a notoriously difficult language to learn, even with capable and ongoing instruction—points partly toward his own innate abilities, but also toward the value of hard work. His patience and persistence pay off, but not everything comes to him as easily as math once did. This suggests that while others may not be able to achieve quite the same level of academic success as Nat, if they work hard at their own pursuits, they will nevertheless find success.
Themes
While Nat attends to his work and studies, Salem grows by leaps and bounds, fueled by the daring of its sailors and the money they make from international trade. One day, when he’s 17, Nat overhears a rumor that Ropes and Hodges are selling the chandlery. Hope buoys him—he’s not too old to go to Harvard yet. He is writing a letter to Mr. Morris, accepting the position as tutor to the man’s children, when the chandlery’s buyer, Mr. Samuel Ward, stops by. He tells Nat that he bought the business “lock, stock, and bookkeeper.” Nat isn’t free; he will need to work out the remainder of his indenture—another four years—under a new master. Nat crushes the letter and throws it away. No Harvard. Four more years of sailing by ash breeze.
Salem’s burgeoning success points toward the promise of a better life that the newly formed United States of America offers to its citizens. The sale of the chandlery also points to the financial success of the town, especially when it comes to the shipping and sailing industries. The sale comes as another, final blow to Nat’s hopes for going to school. But while he mourns the lost opportunity, he commits himself to sailing by ash breeze—making his way in the world on the strength of his own efforts—rather than accepting defeat.
Themes
