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 and Ramo climb the trail, but the blowing sand makes it hard to see. They shelter amongst rocks until night, when the storm starts to die. When they return to the village, it looks ghostly—and wild dogs are poking around in the huts. The dogs, Karana finds, have eaten all the abalone they left. Karana finally finds enough for supper and lights a small fire. She can still hear the dogs on the hill, though they return to their lair on the island’s north side at dawn.
Nature continues to make things dangerous and difficult with the blowing sand. Describing the village as “ghostly” makes it seem as though the village itself is dead; all that’s left of Karana and Ramo’s friends and neighbors are their homes. And the wild dogs present a problem, as they’re dangerous, hungry, and don’t seem to be nearly afraid enough of people for comfort.
Themes
Ramo and Karana spend the day gathering food. They find more than enough to eat, but Karana has to cook on a flat rock since her bowls are in the sea. The dogs circle the village again that night and leave at dawn. Now that the ocean is calmer, Karana weaves a seaweed basket and collects abalone. They stop on the cliff on their way back to the village and look in the direction the ship went. Though Karana doesn’t think it’ll come back today, she tells Ramo it might.
Karana demonstrates her resourcefulness and her knowledge of how to survive on the island when she weaves this basket and manages to cook without her bowls. It’s also essential that she give Ramo hope that this won’t last forever. By doing this, Karana steps into a more adult, caregiving role.
Themes
Eyes shining, Ramo says he doesn’t care if the ship comes back—he likes it better on the island with just Karana. He announces that he’s going to fetch one of the hidden canoes tomorrow so he and Karana can fish and explore. He brushes off Karana’s insistence that it’s too heavy and puffs out his chest. Ramo notes that he’s the son of Chowig—and since Chowig is dead, he’s now the chief. Karana points out he has to become a man first, which entails being whipped with nettles and tied to a red ant hill. Ramo goes pale, so Karana says perhaps they can skip the ritual. Karana knows that Ramo crowning himself chief will make things difficult—especially when he announces that his new name is Chief Tanyositlopai.
Both Ramo and Karana show here that they’re well aware of the tribe’s gender roles. Though Ramo is only six, he knows that as the only male on the island, he can name himself chief—and can choose a long, difficult name to exert his power. But Karana also suggests that being a man or a chief isn’t so simple; in order to truly be a man, Ramo is going to have to undergo some unpleasant experiences to demonstrate his tenacity and maturity. She also suggests that this ritual is something unique to men in her tribe; she mentions no equivalent ritual that makes girls women.
Themes
Even if Ramo is the chief now, Karana has no intention of letting him get a canoe alone. But when she wakes up the next morning, he’s gone. Karana is afraid—Ramo would have trouble with even the smallest canoe. But Karana also knows that Ramo will have to grow up faster than normal if the ship doesn’t return. She heads for Coral Cove, reasoning that if he is successful, he’ll want someone at the cove to greet him after his voyage.
Again, Karana realizes that she has to humor Ramo somewhat if she expects them to stay alive on the island. They’re going to have to work together, and Ramo is going to have to mature extremely fast in order to survive. And at his age, Karana believes this means that she has to build him up and boost his confidence.
Themes
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Karana gathers mussels as she waits, wondering if the ship will actually return for her and Ramo. When her basket is full, she climbs to the mesa and studies the coastline. She returns to the village; Ramo isn’t there. So finally, Karana heads south. She hears dogs barking near the cliff. Karana follows the sound and finds the pack. Ramo is in the middle of the circle of dogs, his throat bleeding. He’s dead and Karana can tell he’s been dead a while—he never even reached the canoes. There are two dead dogs near him, and Ramo’s spear sticks out of one.
Ramo’s death means that Karana is now totally alone on the island. And as she notes here, it’s impossible to know for sure whether the ship is actually going to come back for her. The fact that the dogs killed Ramo makes it clear that for now, they’re one of the biggest threats to human life on the island—especially now that Karana is all alone. Because of their presence and their willingness to kill humans, the island becomes much less hospitable.
Themes
Karana carries Ramo home and then scares the dogs off with a club. The dogs’ leader, a big gray dog with yellow eyes, leaves last. Karana follows them to their cave. There isn’t enough brush to light a fire and trap them in there, so she returns home. She sits with Ramo’s body and vows to kill the dogs.
After Ramo’s death, Karana wants to dominate over the dogs and the natural world. It’s essential to her that she get revenge for Ramo’s death and show the dogs that they can’t pick off humans so easily.
Themes
