Island of the Blue Dolphins: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

Now that it’s summer, Karana figures the ship will return for her. She spends most of her time on her rock, watching, but only ever sees a whale spouting. When the first winter storm arrives, she feels hopeless and lonely. Before, she didn’t feel lonely because she trusted that Matasaip was right, and the ship would return. She knows now that it never will. Karana has nightmares and doesn’t eat much.

The winds are so bad that Karana can’t keep sleeping on her rock. For five days, she sleeps at the bottom of the rock with a fire going. She kills three dogs when they come, but not the leader. The storm ends, so on the sixth day, Karana goes to find one of the canoes. The food in them is still good. She’s decided to take a canoe and head east on her own. Karana remembers that Kimki asked his ancestors’ advice before heading east, but Karana can’t do this—she’s never been able to speak to the dead. Still, she’s not really afraid. Her ancestors crossed the sea in canoes, and Kimki did the same. She’s too interested in leaving the island, its ghosts, and its wild dogs to worry about what might happen.

Karana selects the smallest canoe, which is still almost too big for her to handle. Using a slippery bed of kelp, she steers it into the water. She kneels in the back (which allows her to go faster) until she reaches the southern sandspit. Eventually, the Island of the Blue Dolphins disappears behind her. Night falls, and Karana listens to the waves. She’s so afraid that she’s not hungry, but her fear starts to dissipate as the stars come out.

About halfway through the night, Karana discovers that the canoe is leaking. She bails out the water in the canoe until she finds a crack as long as her hand. Karana fills it with a piece of her skirt just before daybreak. She realizes she’s going a bit too far south, so she paddles north toward the sun. Karana is tired, but hopeful—another day and she’ll be able to see the shore. But before long, the canoe develops a bigger leak. Karana fills it with more of her skirt, but she realizes that all of the canoe’s planks are weak and brittle. It’s dangerous to keep going.

Karana lets the canoe drift. The thought of going back after working so hard is painful—and she’s not excited to return to the island to live alone for who knows how long. Finally, when more water starts to seep through the canoe’s cracks, Karana turns back toward the island. There’s no wind, which allows Karana to make good time. And then, when the wind does pick up, a pod of dolphins swims around the canoe. They’re lucky animals and watching them play helps Karana forget that her hands are bleeding. The dolphins feel like friends. The animals disappear just before dusk, and thinking of them keeps Karana from falling asleep. She drifts off several times—but she can see the island in the morning. When she reaches the island, Karana, exhausted, collapses in the sand and sleeps.