Beyond the Bright Sea

“I felt a certain kinship with the big, black birds that drifted over from the mainland like lost kites, tipping to and fro in the wind before settling noisily in Miss Maggie’s hornbeam tree. They didn’t seem to belong on the islands. And sometimes I felt like I didn’t, either.” 

Crow is aware of the obvious connection between her name (and physical appearance) and her namesake bird. In addition, she grasps the symbolic link between birds, flight, and freedom—or its flipside, isolation. By pointing out that the crows flying from mainland Massachusetts to the Elizabeths are out of place, she foreshadows the later revelation that her sense of belonging will have to account for the fact that she, too comes from somewhere else—Penikese. 

“When I did that and everything began to unravel, a seam opened up and let in some light, which helped me see my life more clearly, but also made me want to close my eyes, sometimes, instead.” 

Crow foreshadows the discoveries she will make regarding her origins, her biological family, and the fears residents of Cuttyhunk have that she is a possible leper. The passage reflects the dual nature of these discoveries: They will lead her to finally learn who her parents were, why she was cast away as an infant, and that she has a living brother; but they will invite Kendall and other risks into her life. Crow’s metaphor reflects this: Light can illuminate and blind. 

“It never occurred to me, as I watched them search, that I would be the one to find the treasure they sought. Or that I would find it in a place where none of them would ever have dared to look.”

The novel undercuts any suspense about whether Crow will find the physical treasure, but it holds back revealing the story of Crow’s family. This implies that the monetary treasure she finds is less valuable than the insights she gains about her past and family.