Sunday, February 8, 2015

Why couldn't Timothy permit Phillip to join him when he explored the reef?

In The Cay by Theodore Taylor, Timothy will not allow Phillip to go with him to the reef initially because he has not yet been there himself, and he does not know whether it is safe or not. Timothy is especially cautious because Phillip is blind, and if he should slip and fall into the water, Timothy may not be able to get to him in time. Later they find out that there are sometimes...

In The Cay by Theodore Taylor, Timothy will not allow Phillip to go with him to the reef initially because he has not yet been there himself, and he does not know whether it is safe or not. Timothy is especially cautious because Phillip is blind, and if he should slip and fall into the water, Timothy may not be able to get to him in time. Later they find out that there are sometimes sharks around the reef, so Timothy's suspicions are verified. 



"There were submerged coral reefs and great shelves. The water became deep very abruptly. Timothy warned against going into the water here because the sharks could swim close to shore" (Taylor 80).



Timothy teaches Phillip everything he can about the cay, so that Phillip will be able to survive should something happen to Timothy. At the same time, Timothy is very protective of Phillip and wants to make sure he does not get hurt. He helps Phillip learn to move about the cay while avoiding the areas that might prove dangerous like the reef.

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