Disaster
Rutherford asserts, “Of all the things that drive men to sea, the most common disaster, I’ve come to learn is women. In my case, it was a spirited Boston schoolteacher named Isadora Bailey who led me to become a cook aboard the Republic.” Rutherford’s assertion infers that he equates all women to adversity; therefore, he unreservedly dreads them. The resolution to retreat to the sea is influenced by the yearning to elude Isadora. His outlook on women hints at his Queer stripe; not all men are automatically fascinated by womenfolk.
Whore
Rutherford narrates, “So it (New Orleans) seemed those first few months to the country boy with cotton in his hair, a great whore of a city in her glory, kind of a glandular Golden Age. She was if not a town devoted to an almost religious pursuit of Sin, then at least to a steamy of sexuality.” The emblematic whore accentuates the pervasive immorality in New Orleans. Residents hardly shy from indulging in the immorality which is equivalent to their religion.
Shackle
Rutherford asserts, “I don’t believe I’ll ever get married. There’s too much to do. And see. Life is too short for me to shackle myself to a mortgage and marriage.” Rutherford’s utilization of the allegorical shackle underscores his dread of marriage which he contemplates would obstruct his autonomy. He holds that embracing matrimony is tantamount chaining himself to a burdensome commitment.
