73 pages • 2 hours read
Jean Lee LathamCarry On, Mr. Bowditch
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1955A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Nathaniel Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch is the second son of former Captain Habakkuk Bowditch. His older siblings are Mary, Hab, and Lizza. The younger are Samuel, William, and Lois. In other biographies of Nathaniel Bowditch, Nat is described by people who knew him as being slight of stature, and his health was somewhat poor as a teenager and young man, probably due to privation in his youth. There is one sculpted bust of Nathaniel Bowditch in his later years, which makes him look grumpy. That might be because the artist wanted to show him in the style of a Roman statesman. His other portraits, including the one best loved by his family, depict him as a slight man with high cheekbones, a rather narrow, pointed chin, round eyes and a small mouth with the hint of an impish smile at the corners.
People who were acquainted with the real Nathaniel Bowditch, including his family, described him as invariably kind, humorous, playful, impulsive, and full of fun. He placed a high value on the most scrupulous honesty and responsibility. The dark side of his impulsiveness was a quick temper, and it took some effort on his part to overcome his occasional outbursts, particularly his frustration when trying to teach people who were slower than himself. His kindness and his sense of moral justice meant that it was very important to him to overcome that flaw in himself.
Nat has a genius for math and problem-solving, and his dream is to attend Harvard University and study math. When economic upheaval during and after the American Revolution makes his dream impossible, pluck and passion for learning enable Nat to give himself at least as good an education as he could have received at the university. Nat didn’t bemoan the obstacles in his life. He was known to describe his setbacks and hardships as anchors, giving him a foothold against which to push himself forward. Although Nathaniel Bowditch is best known for his American Practical Navigator, he considered it his least significant work. He was prouder of his accomplishments in astronomy and mathematics, especially his translation into English of Pierre-Simon Laplace's La Mécanique Celeste.
Habakkuk Bowditch
Habakkuk is a biblical name. Such names were common in New England at the time. The Puritans who settled the Salem area rarely, if ever, looked outside the Bible for names for their children. Nat’s father, born in 1738, was the captain of the Polly, which went down on a reef on April 19, 1775, the same day as the battle of Lexington. The experience caused him to lose his “tuck,” meaning his nerve. He drinks too much, especially after Nat’s mother and grandmother die. With the economy in trouble after the war, he is unable to make ends meet as a barrel-maker, so he is forced to indenture Nat to Ropes and Hodges as a bookkeeper.
Some of the family’s financial misfortunes may be due to the fact that Habakkuk had loaned his life savings to his father who then lost it. Habakkuk was obliged to return to the trade of barrel making. As Habakkuk says in in Chapter 2: “better to be a lucky barrel-maker than an unlucky ship’s captain” (11). Unfortunately, a barrel-maker can be just as unlucky as a ship’s captain. He received financial assistance from the Salem Marine Society, but it was inadequate to the support of his family.
According to Memoir of Nathaniel Bowditch, Habakkuk was known to be a man of good sense, though without education. He was observant and a good judge of people and took an enlightened approach to religion. He was generally cheerful, amiable, and good-tempered, but bad fortune brought him down and, lacking the determination that drove Nat, he yielded to drink rather than exerting himself to greater effort (Memoir of Nathaniel Bowditch).
Elizabeth Boardman Bowditch
Nat’s first wife—the only child of the wealthy and influential Captain Francis Bowditch—is thoughtful and insightful, a more serious and introspective person than her cousin Polly, who will be Nat’s second wife. Nat will name his second daughter Elizabeth after her. Elizabeth dies of tuberculosis at the age of eighteen after being married only seven months. Their marriage having been so short, Nat does not feel he can keep the wealth he inherited from her and returns it to her mother, but he remains close to Elizabeth’s mother throughout his life.
Mary (Polly) Ingersoll Bowditch
Polly was once used as a pet name for “Molly” or “Mary.” It is Latin, meaning “star of the sea.” Polly Ingersoll was Nat’s first cousin, the daughter of his mother’s brother. It was not unusual for cousins to marry at that time. In an old town like Salem, at a time when people were likely to live all their lives in the place they were born, it was inevitable that a community would become closely interrelated. Her father is Nat’s mother’s brother, Captain Ingersoll, a moderately wealthy sea captain—though not as successful as Elizabeth’s father. Polly is described in Memoir of Nathaniel Bowditch as a cheerful girl, lively, intelligent, and devoted to Nat. She encourages all his ambitions. He, in turn, adores her and spoke of her always as the love of his life.
Mary Ingersoll Bowditch (Nat’s Mother)
Nat’s mother died December 16, 1783. In reality, Nat and his mother were particularly close:
[Nat] was always a favorite child. [His mother] was interested in the early development of his character and talents, and, it is said, was sometimes obliged even to restrain and check his fondness for study, as being excessive. She has been heard to say that he would be "something decided." (Memoir of Nathaniel Bowditch).
Mary was a source of strength to the family at a time when her husband Habakkuk struggled to support them both financially and as a father.
