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Chapter 5
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Kensuke’s Kingdom, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Companionship vs. Isolation
Hardship, Survival, and Adventure
Coming of Age
Nature
Memory and Escapism
Summary
Analysis
Michael tries desperately to attract the ship’s attention, but it doesn’t see him and continues past the island. Michael grows angry at Kensuke’s refusal to tolerate fire, since the smoke might have caught the attention of someone on the ship. He resolves to start a fire if another ship passes by, and he spends the next several days collecting flammable materials to burn as a beacon on top of the hill. On one of these days, Michael sees the orangutan watching him, and Michael briefly wonders if Kensuke sent the animal to spy on him.
Though Michael is bound to obey Kensuke for his own survival, he pushes against Kensuke’s order to avoid fire. Michael’s determination to disobey an adult to pursue a course of action that Michael believes to be best signifies his attempts to establish himself as an adult. Michael also recognizes the connection Kensuke has with nature, and he wonders if that connection is strong enough that the orangutan could take on the human traits of a spy.
Active
Themes
A typhoon hits the island and lasts four days, during which time Michael and Stella stay together in the cave. Michael hopes his parents and the Peggy Sue are not caught in the storm. Despite the weather, Kensuke continues to cross to Michael’s side of the island to leave food for Michael and Stella. When the typhoon passes, Michael’s beacon is soaked through, so he won’t be able to light it until it dries. He goes swimming with Stella, but Kensuke runs to stop them, shouting “Abunai!” and commanding them to stop swimming. Michael wants to defy Kensuke, but he obeys because he is still dependent on Kensuke for food and water. To vent his anger, Michael makes a sand sculpture of Kensuke and kicks it.
Michael is completely separated from his family and has no idea if his parents are in danger. Thinking about his family through this vulnerable lens makes Michael’s interaction with Kensuke even more frustrating to Michael. A key element of the hostility between Kensuke and Michael is the language barrier between them; Michael doesn’t know that “abunai” is a Japanese word meaning “dangerous.”
Active
Themes
As Michael’s beacon remains damp and the sea remains void of ships, Michael becomes hopeless. He gives up on watching from the hill and spends his days in the cave, believing that no one besides Kensuke will ever know what happened to him. He comes to hate Kensuke, who Michael views as his captor on the island, and his anger toward Kensuke renews Michael’s will to escape.
Michael’s beacon finally dries, and one day Michael emerges from his cave to see a boat on the horizon. He runs to the beacon and sets a fire, only for Kensuke to appear and put it out. Kensuke breaks the glass Michael used to start the fire and dismantles the beacon. Kensuke solemnly speaks to Michael in Japanese, and when Michael cries that he only wants to go home, Kensuke offers a stiff apology and disappears into the forest, followed by a group of orangutans. Michael watches the boat disappear. Then, enraged, he crosses the boundary to Kensuke’s side of the island and goes swimming, shouting and daring Kensuke to stop him. Kensuke emerges from the forest, trying to stop him, and Michael is attacked by a large jellyfish.
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