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Chapter 10
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Island of the Blue Dolphins, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Natural World
Solitude
Friendship
Gender Roles and Survival
Colonialism, Violence, and Indigenous Culture
Summary
Analysis
Karana wakes up that night when she feels waves at her feet. She’s still too tired to go far, so she goes back to sleep once she’s on slightly higher ground. In the morning, Karana gathers her things and turns the canoe upside down—this way, the tide can’t take it. Then she returns to the headland. To her surprise, she’s happy to be home where she can see the otter, the seafoam, and the gulls. Looking out at the sea, though, Karana feels afraid. She knows now that she’ll never try to leave the island again; she’ll be here until the white men return for her. This decided, Karana knows she has to build herself a house.
Navigating the natural world, Karana discovers, is exhausting— after her ordeal, it takes her about a day to be able to simply move away from the water. But, as she looks around and realizes she’s happy being amongst the animals on the island, she also concludes that the natural world is beautiful, fulfilling, and something she can deal with. And the prospect of staying seems easier now that Karana is making the choice to stay. This makes her feel more in control, rather than being at the mercy of outward circumstances.
Themes
The following morning, Karana starts to hunt for a good place to build a house. It needs to be sheltered, close to a water source, and close enough to Coral Cove. There are two spots like this on the island, one on the headland and one to the west, and Karana hasn’t been to the western spot in a while. She arrives and remembers that it’s close to the wild dogs’ lair. The leader watches Karana as she looks around. Karana knows she’ll have to kill the wild dogs if she builds here. That will take time. This spring is better than the other, and this spot offers a bit less protection from the wind than the spot on the headland.
Karana seems to know the island very well—and to have good instincts about its potential. As she inspects this spot, she also demonstrates a nuanced understanding of what it’ll take to live by herself on the island. It’d be silly, she knows, to live so close to predators, but it’s also important to her to weigh how close and how good each water source is. There’s a lot to consider, and by weighing these factors, she shows how prepared she is to live alone.
Themes
Ultimately, Karana decides on the spot for her house because of the sea elephants. Near the western spot is a place where the sea elephants like to spend time. The bull sea elephants are massive, but the smaller cows are noisy and scream all the time. Even though the sea elephants are far out on the rocks, they make so much noise that Karana returns to the headland.
In addition to being safe and having access to water, Karana also needs to be able to sleep and hear herself think. Being close to the sea elephants won’t give her any peace and quiet, which makes this an easy decision.
Themes
It rains for the next two days. Karana makes a small shelter and shivers, since she can’t build a fire. When the rains stop, she goes out to scout for supplies to build a house and fence. She needs to keep out the wild dogs in addition to the red foxes. The rain makes everything smell wonderful, and Karana sings to herself as she walks to the sandspit. It feels like a lucky day to build her home.
Having to spend the two days shivering impresses upon Karana how important it is that she build herself a house. It also gives her the time to think through all the parts of this process, from where to find supplies to what exactly she needs to build. Karana demonstrates her logical, practical nature—and her preparedness.
Themes
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