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13. On Board
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Anansi, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Outer vs. Inner Strength
Storytelling and Connection
Youth and Wisdom
Slavery and Complicity
Children and Elders
Summary
Analysis
Back on land in Kingston Harbour, the sailor drinks from a flask and the boy approaches him. The sailor asks if the boy has figured out the color of God, and the boy responds that he has. The sailor tells him to beware of blasphemy, and the boy explains that the captain is sick. The two watch as the girl is lead up onto the platform for auction. The auctioneer begins to call for bids, though the girl cannot understand his language. The girl remains strong, refusing to let them see her cry, and begins to tell herself a new story of Anansi. The girl is sold at auction, but as she speaks, the scene freezes and she enters into the realm of the forest of stories, spinning her tale.
The boy’s quiet resolve reflects how his experiences on the ship have changed him. His private discovery, for example, of what color God is—and his refusal to share it with the sailor—reflects how he has come to his own conclusions about the world. When the sailor tells him to beware of blasphemy, the boy is unafraid to question if all blasphemy is bad, emphasizing that he has preserved his critical eye. The girl, about to be sold into enslavement, finds comfort in the world of stories, beginning to tell her own tale of Anansi and thereby honoring her connection to the woman and her home while also figuratively escaping her imminent bondage. This is illustrated by her literally stepping into the Forest of Stories, showing the emancipatory power of stories.
Active
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