Essay Questions

Why does Captain Shore repent his pirate ways? How does he make restitution?

Learning that Unca Eliza has been abandoned and left for dead on an island that was at least believed to be uninhabited is a moral and religious epiphany for Shore - quite literally, his come to Jesus moment. He has previously been a pirate, and has pillaged and stolen his way through life on the ocean. He originally learns of Unca's abandonment when he takes over the ship she was sailing on. He finds some of her clothes and other belongings, and demands to know what has become of her. The experience of learning what has happened to her, and finally being in the position of doing the right thing, completely changes him.

After Captain Shore finds God, he sets about making restitution not only for the wrongs that he has done, but also for the wrongs that have been done to Unca Eliza. He arranges for the "capture" and return to England of the treacherous captain, and makes sure that he is punished for his actions. He reunites Cousin Winkfield with Unca Eliza. Lastly, he returns the property that he stole from people during his years of piracy.

Unca Eliza is a woman who is ahead of her time. In what way does she demonstrate this?

Most women of Unca Eliza's generation were conditioned to believe that the most important thing that would happen to them was receiving a marriage proposal. Most men believed this about women too, which is why a rejected proposal was taken so badly. Unca had her own idea of what made a man a suitable husband, and she was not about to change those views just because society expected it. When her cousin first expresses an interest in her, she turns him down, which upsets him greatly, but does not deter him from pursuing her. When the captain of the ship she is sailing on proposes, and rejected, he takes the rejection far less well and dumps Unca on a remote island.

Unca is capable. She is in many ways a true pioneer woman, only she manages to make all of her skills transferrable. She has the ability to take care of herself, and she is also very quick witted. This is true of most women of her generation, but the main difference between them and Unca is that she dared to strike out on her own even when she was not marooned. She has the absolute confidence in herself and her abilities, and she is also confident that God will take care of her in whatever situation she finds herself. This makes her different to many women of her generation because she is literally self-governing and does not have any family to make her conform to what is expected.