Caleb's Crossing

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2011

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapters 1-3

Part 1, Chapters 4-6

Part 1, Chapters 7-9

Part 1, Chapters 10-11

Part 2, Chapters 1-6

Part 2, Chapters 7-12

Part 2, Chapters 13-18

Part 2, Chapters 19-23

Part 3, Chapters 1-5

Part 3, Chapters 6-10

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Part 1, Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “Anno 1660 Aetatis Suae 15 Great Harbor”

Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary

Bethia’s narrative proceeds to summer, when a whale drifts onto a beach near the settlement. According to the customary relationship between the settlers and the Native Americans, any whales that wash up outside the settlement belong to the Wampanoag. However, the winter has been lean, so Nortown, a fisherman, persuades other settlers that the tribe will be distant from that spot for some time and that the settlers are doing the right thing by harvesting the whale oil and meat. Bethia’s father would resist this plan, but he is away on business in Nantucket. Bethia’s less morally grounded brother, Makepeace, insists that they must partake in the unsavory work.

During the work, which proceeds into the night, Bethia is sent to find driftwood for rendering the oil. She stumbles on to a gathering of the Wampanoag, who, as it turns out, are not as far away as Nortown believed. They are conducting a ceremony involving drums and singing. Even though she knows that it is a sin to observe gods other than the Christian God, Bethia is captivated. She even slips out of her clothing, moving to the music. Fortunately, no one witnesses her transgression and she makes her way back to the settlement in the morning.

Part 1, Chapter 5 Summary

Bethia learns more about Caleb: His real name is Cheeshahteaumack, and he is the son of a sonquem. His name means “hateful one” (33) although he informs Bethia that this name should not be taken literally; it could simply be intended by his family to render him undesirable to jealous evil spirits. He is likewise surprised that Bethia means “servant” (34), not understanding that it means servant to the Lord.

Caleb is also the nephew of Tequamuck, a pawaaw. The pawaaws are possessors of magic, a fact that concerns Bethia: Her father has taught her to view them as evil sorcerers who commune with Satan. Hoping to bring about her friend’s salvation, she names him “Caleb,” after a brave companion of Moses. This name evokes her friend’s status as an enlightened soul dwelling in the wilderness; however, Caleb himself has a difficult time understanding the intention of the name and who Moses is. Coincidentally, Moses sounds like Moshup, a legendary hero among Caleb’s people.

Part 1, Chapter 6 Summary

Bethia describes using “stalking” skills taught to her by Caleb (37) in order to annoy her indolent brother Makepeace. Meanwhile, she introduces Caleb to books. She allows him to examine a book of her father’s, but when he asks her to give him the book, she declines, which upsets him. Bethia does promise to lend Caleb her catechism, which she has memorized and which does not belong to her father.

Bethia hopes to recruit Caleb to study under her father; however, Caleb is very unimpressed with Iacoomis and his son Joel. Bethia begins to persuade him by arguing that since he aspires to be a pawaaw like his uncle, he should seek knowledge of all the gods in the known world.

When Caleb proves skeptical about aspects of the Christian belief system, such as the idea of God expelling his own son and daughter from Eden, Bethia realizes the difficulty of her father’s efforts and goes with him on a mission of conversion. During her father’s sermon to a seemingly receptive tribe, a number of pawaaws appear and the listeners suddenly disperse.

Part 1, Chapters 4-6 Analysis

Settler-Indigenous relationships are clearly important throughout these chapters, both at the large-scale and individual levels. Settlers are at all times pushing the boundaries of their agreements and treaties with the Native population. Stealing the whale by the settlers is a clear betrayal: Though admittedly the settlers are suffering and desperate, their attempts to justify their actions show how ethically suspect they are. At the same time, Bethia’s father dedicates his life to eroding the power of the pawaaws over their people, substituting his religion over theirs.

In contrast, we see a much more equal relationship develop between Caleb and Bethia. Their communication is constructive and offers something to both sides: knowledge. Such a relationship is much easier between two individuals than between communities, and it opens Bethia up to experiencing more of the Native culture through less biased eyes. When she stumbled onto the Wampanoag drum ceremony, she enters into the spiritual dimension of their practice rather than dismissing what they are doing as against Christianity. This experience, in turn, allows her to argue that Caleb too should learn as much as he can about both religious practices to become a pawaaw.

The theme of naming recurs when Bethia learns Caleb’s true name, but also learns that the meaning of a name does not necessarily have a clear, direct connection to the person, place, or object named. Names are often open to interpretation. The settlers’ names are aspirational—Bethia’s name is a hope that she will be steadfast in her faith, and the name she picks for Caleb implies that she sees an as-yet unmanifested power in him.