The Cay facts for kids
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| Author | Theodore Taylor |
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| Country | United States |
| Genre | Survival |
| Publisher | Avon |
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Publication date
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1969 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 105 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-380-01003-8 |
| OCLC | 26874149 |
| Followed by | Timothy of the Cay |
The Cay is a popular novel for young people written by Theodore Taylor. It was first published in 1969. The story is about a young boy who gets stranded on an island during World War II.
Taylor wrote The Cay very quickly, in just three weeks. He had thought about the story for over ten years. He was inspired by a real event: an 11-year-old boy who was on a Dutch ship called Hato when it was attacked in 1942. The novel was dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr..
Contents
The Story of The Cay
When World War II begins, 11-year-old Phillip Enright and his mother decide to leave Curaçao. They board the S.S. Hato to travel to Virginia because German submarines, called U-boats, are in the area. Their ship is attacked, and Phillip ends up lost at sea.
He is with an old black man named Timothy and a cat called Stew Cat. During the attack, Phillip is hit on the head and becomes blind. Soon, they find a small island in a place called Devil's Mouth.
Life on the Island
On the island, Phillip, Timothy, and Stew Cat build a small hut. They keep track of the days by putting pebbles in a can. They have very few supplies but learn to survive by fishing and collecting rainwater. The island, called a cay, is tiny, only about one mile long and half a mile wide.
At first, Phillip and Timothy find it hard to get along. Phillip, who is white, has some unfair ideas about Timothy because he is black. But as time passes, Phillip learns to trust and respect Timothy. Timothy takes care of Phillip and teaches him important survival skills. Phillip learns so much that he no longer needs Timothy's constant help.
Airplanes fly over the island, but they do not see Phillip and Timothy. This means they stay stranded for a long time. After two months, a big hurricane hits the cay. Timothy protects Phillip during the storm but dies afterward because he is "tired" from the effort.
Phillip is heartbroken and buries Timothy. He is left alone with only Stew Cat. Later, a navy ship rescues Phillip.
After the Rescue
One year after being rescued, Phillip has many operations to try and get his eyesight back. In the end, Phillip decides he wants to become a sea explorer. He hopes to travel to many islands and find the cay where he and Timothy were stranded. He believes he will recognize it even with his eyes closed.
Main Characters
Here are the main people and animals you will meet in The Cay:
- Phillip Enright: He is the 11-year-old main character and the one telling the story. He gets stranded on the island with Timothy. At first, he is unsure about Timothy because of his skin color. But after he becomes blind, he relies on Timothy and learns to appreciate him, forming a strong friendship.
- Timothy: An old man from the West Indies, specifically Charlotte Amalie in Saint Thomas. He is stranded with Phillip. Timothy is very wise and knows a lot about surviving in the wild. He teaches Phillip how to fish, build shelter, and find food and water. He is patient and helps Phillip become independent.
- Stew Cat: This is the cat who joins Phillip and Timothy on the island. He is a comfort to Phillip. Timothy sometimes thinks Stew Cat might be a "Jumbi," which is an evil spirit. Before the ship sank, Stew Cat was the cook's cat.
- Phillip's Mother, Grace: She travels with Phillip on the S.S. Hato but gets separated from him when the ship sinks. She has some unfair views about the black people living in Curaçao.
- Phillip's Father, Phillip Enright Sr.: He moves his family to the Dutch West Indies for his job. He works at an oil refinery that makes fuel for airplanes.
- Henrik van Boven: Phillip's friend in Curaçao. He is Dutch and does not understand why Phillip's mother dislikes black people.
Learning About Fairness
At the beginning of the novel, Phillip has some unfair ideas about black people. These ideas seem to come from his mother. She misses her home in Virginia and is not used to Curaçao. Phillip's mother tells him not to go near the black people who work on the bay. She says they live differently from Phillip.
Phillip does not understand why his mother feels this way, especially since his friend Henrik finds it strange. However, Phillip initially shares some of these feelings when he first meets Timothy.
Phillip's Changing Views
Phillip starts to notice some similarities between himself and Timothy. Timothy tells Phillip he is from St. Thomas, which Phillip realizes means Timothy is American. Timothy just laughs, saying he never thought about it that way. Phillip is curious and asks if Timothy's parents were African. He thinks Timothy looks like men he has seen in "jungle pictures." But Timothy says he has only ever known the Caribbean islands.
When Phillip becomes blind, he has to depend on Timothy for everything. This changes their relationship a lot. Timothy surprises Phillip with his great knowledge of the Caribbean islands and survival skills. He can build shelter, find food, and get water. He teaches Phillip these skills so Phillip can take care of himself.
As they spend more time together, their bond grows stronger. Phillip begins to admire and befriend Timothy. When Timothy dies, Phillip is very sad. He digs a grave for him and cries.
When Phillip returns to Curaçao, he spends a lot of time with the workers at St. Anna Bay. Many of them knew Timothy and remember him fondly. Phillip realizes he feels close to these people. He no longer has any unfair ideas about them.
Other Works and Movies
- The book was made into a TV movie in 1974. Alfred Lutter played Phillip, James Earl Jones played Timothy, and Gretchen Corbett played Phillip's mother. Phillip's father was not in the movie.
- In 1993, Theodore Taylor wrote a second book called Timothy of the Cay. This book tells about Phillip's life after the island and also about Timothy's life before they met.
