What do they want? The refinery is sending oil to England for the war. The Germans want the oil. You just studied 18 terms!

The Cay by Theodore Taylor is a historical fiction novel about Phillip Enright, a young boy who is shipwrecked in the Caribbean. With the help of Timothy and Stew Cat, he survives on a tiny cay for four months before being rescued by a navy ship.

What supplies were getting low on the island? The item that was getting low on the island was the fresh vegetables because of the schooner-men.

At the beginning of the book, the residents of Willemstad in Curacao, then a Dutch island off the coast of Venezuela, are worried because it is 1942. Then, the Germans blew up six small oil tankers on Curacao that bring crude oil from Lake Maracaibo to the oil refinery to be turned into gasoline and diesel.

Do you think that they really had to leave, or that she was looking for an excuse to leave? Mrs. Enright decided to leave Curaçao after the oil tanker the Empire Term was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine right off the coast.

Chapter one of The Cay describes the island in the Caribbean where Phillip lives with his mother and father. A German submarine bombs the neighboring island of Aruba, and Phillip and his friend Henrik sneak out to see what they can see. The soldiers send them home, and Phillip talks with his parents about the war.

After a morning of hut-building and fishing, Timothy and Phillip spend the afternoon tearing out vines to weave into rope. Timothy weaves a rope that will be strung from the hut to the beach and from the reef to the beach, so that Phillip can go from place to place without help.

What happened? Timothy warned Phillip that he should not go diving for langosta, or lobster, in the coral reef. Because of his blindness, it was too dangerous. In chapter 17 of The Cay, Phillip is tired of eating fish and sea grape leaves, so he decides to ignore Timothy’s warning and go diving for langosta.

The Cay is based on a true story. While researching another book, Theodore read about an incident that happened in 1942. The Germans had torpedoed a Dutch ship, slicing it in half. Those who survived the attack crawled into a lifeboat, looked back and saw an eleven-year-old Dutch boy.

The Hato was the ship that Phillip ad his mom were taking back to the united states.

In early April, Phillip and his mother leave Curacao because it is not safe. They leave on a small ship called the S. S. Hato. On April 6, 1942, the Hato is hit by a German torpedo and sinks.

Phillip Enright After his rescue from the Cay in La Boca del Diablo, Phillip was reunited with his parents. (His mother had likewise survived the sinking of the Hato.)

1. Why had the birds attacked Phillip? They were hunting birds and they thought he was prey.

The Cay by Theodore Taylor is a story about a boy who survives a shipwreck. The themes of The Cay include a friendship between very different people, overcoming obstacles to accomplish a goal, and personal growth through life experiences.

He tries to figure out why the plane didn’t see the smoke from the signal fire. He realizes that the sea grape is oily, so he prepares sea grape to use to turn the signal fire smoke black. Phillip lights the signal fire when he hears the plane.

On Curacao, he was in charge of “a program to increase the production of aviation gas.” Enright’s decision to move his family to Curacao put them in harm’s way of the new German U-boat threats that patrolled the waters, and his wife was never happy there because of the constant smell of oil and that there were so “many …

They had come to Curacao because Phillip’s father had convinced his mother that he was needed for the war effort in World War II—the Dutch Shell Company had asked him to work on building up their refineries on the island to help them win the war. His mother hated the island, but she had gone with him.

Afraid that the next bout of malaria could take his life, Timothy wanted Phillip to be able to fish on his own, which would provide him with the food he needed to survive. Why did Phillip climb the coconut palm despite his fear? Timothy knew there was a storm coming because of signs of nature.

Burying Timothy As Chapter 16 of The Cay begins, Phillip is digging a grave for Timothy. After clearing the debris, he digs with his hands. As he works, he feels angry at first. Then he realizes that by standing behind him during the storm, Timothy saved his life.

After Timothy dies, Phillip and Stew Cat are left alone on the island. During Chapter Eighteen, Phillip hears some explosions and then an aircraft nearby. He grabs some matches and runs down to the fire pile on the beach. After a few tries, he is able to light the fire and signal to the plane.

Phillip doesn’t blame the birds for attacking him? They were just defending their home. What does Phillip mean when he says, “They were fighting for survival after the storm, just as I was” (16.33). he recognizes the sacrifices Timothy made for him.

In the end, Timothy shields Phillip from the storm with his body, while the two hold onto a rope around a palm tree. Though he lives for a few moments after the storm, Timothy eventually dies; his body is cut, bruised, and bleeding from the wind and debris. Phillip is thankful for his friend and buries him.

In chapter ten of The Cay, Timothy and Phillip enjoy a rainstorm, and Phillip asks Timothy questions about skin color. We learn that Phillip is afraid to climb the palm tree to get coconuts. As the chapter ends, Phillip is worried about how long his blindness will last.

Phillip is rescued by sailors from a destroyer. The destroyer contacts his family and takes him to a naval base, where his parents come for him. Phillip goes home with his family and has surgery in New York to recover his vision.

Phillip now spends hours looking over charts of the Caribbean. He plans to charter a schooner one day and return to the island he shared with Timothy.

Phillip says, “Why didn’t you take us with you?” He says this because if he died, it would just be over, no more pain.

Phillip thinks about leaving the island; he would miss the people and animals and places. He is “awake most of the night” (2.12).

Jumbi. Timothy is complaining that there have been no aircraft, and he says that the island must have a jumbi – an evil spirit.