The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle facts for kids
Cover for the novel
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| Author | Avi |
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| Cover artist | Janet Walsh 1st edition |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Orchard Books |
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Publication date
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1990 |
| Media type | Novel |
| Pages | 226 |
| ISBN | 0-531-05893-X |
| OCLC | 21149467 |
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is an exciting historical novel written by the American author Avi. It was first published in 1990. This book is perfect for young readers, especially those in middle school. It tells the story of Charlotte Doyle, a young girl who goes on an amazing adventure. She learns a lot about life while sailing on a ship from England to America in the year 1832. The novel was very popular and won several awards, including being named a Newbery Honor book in 1991.
Contents
Plot Summary
Charlotte's Journey Begins
The story begins in the summer of 1832. Thirteen-year-old Charlotte Doyle is getting ready for a long ship journey. She is traveling from Liverpool, England, all the way to her family's home in Providence, Rhode Island. Charlotte comes from a wealthy family and has had a very protected life. This means she has a limited view of the world.
Charlotte soon discovers she is the only passenger on the ship, called the Seahawk. She is also the only female aboard. Several people warn her that she should not be on this ship. But her escort, Mr. Grummage, insists that Charlotte must go.
Life Aboard the Seahawk
On her very first day, a kind Black sailor named Zachariah gives Charlotte a dirk (a small dagger) for protection. He also warns her about Captain Jaggery, the ship's leader. Charlotte doesn't believe Zachariah at first. She and Captain Jaggery become quite close. He even tells her to report anything suspicious she sees.
Later, Charlotte spots a "round-robin" paper. This is a secret sign that the crew is planning a mutiny (a rebellion against the captain). Charlotte tells Captain Jaggery about it. He quickly stops the rebellion. Sadly, one of the sailors, Cranick, dies during this event.
Charlotte is very upset when Captain Jaggery and the first mate, Mr. Hollybrass, punish Zachariah severely. Charlotte tries to stop the punishment, but she accidentally hits the captain's face with the whip. Captain Jaggery becomes furious. He continues to punish Zachariah without mercy. Zachariah appears to die, and a funeral is held for him.
Charlotte Joins the Crew
After this, Captain Jaggery no longer protects Charlotte. Feeling guilty, Charlotte decides she must take Zachariah's place as a crew member. The crew agrees to let her join them. First, she has to prove herself by successfully climbing up and down the ship's tallest mast.
When Captain Jaggery learns of Charlotte's plan, he hits her across the face. Charlotte then promises that she will tell everyone about his cruelty when they reach land.
A Storm and a Secret
As the Seahawk sails into a powerful hurricane, Charlotte falls from the ropes (ratlines). A man saves her, and she believes it is Zachariah, even though he was thought to be dead.
After the storm, the crew finds First Mate Hollybrass. He has been stabbed with the dirk that Zachariah gave Charlotte. She is ordered to the brig (the ship's prison). There, she finds Zachariah, who has been hiding since his severe punishment.
Captain Jaggery holds a trial and accuses Charlotte of Mr. Hollybrass's murder. Since Charlotte has promised to expose his cruelty, he threatens her with a serious punishment. He says he will spare her only if she agrees to side with him and become a "proper" young woman again.
The Truth Revealed
With Zachariah's help, Charlotte escapes from prison. She plans to take the captain's guns and take over his position. When she finds Jaggery, he admits that he killed Hollybrass himself. He gives Charlotte three choices: disgrace herself by killing him, return to her old life as a proper lady, or accept her fate. Charlotte refuses all his choices and runs away from Jaggery.
The Captain tries to kill her in front of the crew. But he falls off the ship and dies. Zachariah then leads the crew in naming Charlotte as the new captain. However, because she has little experience, she mostly acts as a leader while Zachariah guides the crew. They arrive in Providence, Rhode Island, just twelve hours later.
Back Home and a New Choice
When the Seahawk reaches Rhode Island, Charlotte tries to act like her old "proper" self again. She wants to hide what happened from her family. But her father reads her journal about the voyage. He is shocked, burns her diary, and grounds Charlotte for a week.
Finally, Charlotte decides to escape from her home one night. She returns to the Seahawk to become a sailor with Zachariah and the crew.
Main Ideas in the Story
Charlotte's Growth
The book explores important ideas like social class and gender roles. At the beginning, Charlotte is a rich teenage girl. But she becomes a sailor on the Seahawk. This changes how she sees herself as a girl and her place in society. Charlotte remains a girl, but she shows readers that there are other ways to be a girl than what society usually expects.
Because of her experiences, first working with Captain Jaggery and then fighting against him, Charlotte changes a lot. By the end of the book, she becomes her true self. She is no longer just what society expected her to be.
The Author's Message
Avi, the author, felt that Charlotte choosing to leave her family was a choice for freedom. He believed this was a very important part of the story. He also saw Captain Jaggery as a main character who helps drive the story. Avi felt the book quietly criticized the idea of capitalism (a system where businesses are owned by private people).
However, by the end of the book, Charlotte is the only person from a wealthy background still alive. She also becomes the Captain. This might suggest that the class system stays the same, even though gender roles have been challenged. Charlotte's difficulty in seeing things as they truly are, instead of through her wealthy viewpoint, causes much of the conflict in the book.
Telling the Story
The book also has a narrator, Charlotte, who knows she is telling a story. This idea, called metafiction, is important to the novel. Charlotte's way of telling the story is similar to travel journals from the 1800s.
The book starts with "an important warning." Charlotte, as the narrator, explains why she has the right to tell her story. She says it "is worth relating even if it did happen years ago." Even as Charlotte changes as a character, her voice as the storyteller stays the same. However, Charlotte can sometimes be an unreliable narrator to the outside world. For example, she writes in the ship's log that Jaggery fell to his death. This makes him remembered positively, rather than as a murderer, to people outside the ship.
The Movie Version
A movie version of the book was planned for a long time. It was written and was going to be directed by Danny DeVito. The movie was set to star Morgan Freeman as Zachariah and Pierce Brosnan as Jaggery.
Dakota Fanning was first chosen to play Charlotte Doyle. But production kept stopping, and she eventually became too old for the part. Saoirse Ronan was then cast. However, the film was delayed again because Morgan Freeman was seriously hurt in a car accident. This happened just two weeks before filming was supposed to start.
Danny DeVito talked about the movie again in February 2013. He said he was looking for another young actress to play Charlotte. He was also looking for filming locations in Ireland. Shooting was supposed to begin in July 2014. The release date is still listed as "To Be Determined," and there is no new information about whether it will be filmed.
