The Waters

“The men of Whiteheart had grown up—as the boys in Whiteheart were still growing up—sharing a certain flavor of camaraderie, that of looking away from other’s misdeeds. It seemed to them common decency not to mention when a man dumped waste oil in a ditch or shot a rare duck out of season or hauled off and slapped his wife or a kid in the passenger seat. When a man felt he could do nothing else for a companion, he could at least show his respect by staying out of that man’s business. A man had his own soul to grapple with, so who was another man to point out the terribleness of a thing. In this world of sinfulness, who was any man to judge another man?”

In keeping with the theme The Dangers of Secrets, the narrative implicitly criticizes the mindset of the Whiteheart men, who consider it part of their code of honor not to interfere in another man’s misdeeds. However, by refusing to intervene in the business of other men out of a misguided sense of loyalty, they inevitably create an environment that allows Titus Senior to escape punishment for raping Rose Thorn.

“‘Well, you were wise to bring this child home.’ Herself moved the blanket more to reveal a perfect tiny newborn hand. She was greatly relieved to see it was a girl. She knew how to raise a girl. Boys on the island would signal the end, with the way they broke trees and cracked eggs and stomped precious mushrooms.”

Even when regarding an innocent baby, Hermine remains adamant in her belief that men are dangerous “brutes” who inevitably destroy what they touch. Her policy of refusing men access to the island reflects her deeper fear that her uniquely feminine world might be shattered by the intrusion of a male. In her eyes, males are the enemies of women and of the natural world.

“Mama, Dorothy wasn’t born here, but she’ll be the one who stays here and saves you. I know she will, Mama.”

When Rose Thorn names the baby Dorothy after the protagonist of L. Frank Baum’s “Oz” books, she wishes to ensure that Donkey will remain rooted on the island just as the literary Dorothy is tied to her home in Kansas. Rose Thorn’s words prove accurate when Donkey does eventually become Hermine’s literal and metaphorical right hand. As the youngest of the Zooks, Donkey will inherit the island and Rose Cottage: a reversal of the fairy-tale