Allusions: “My father brought her a glittering brooch, necklace, and dangles to make her all the more inviting, though she also wished to wear a cross, as always” (Pg. 18). The fact that she always wears a cross reveals that she may carry some guilt regarding her relationship with William and the dishonesty toward William’s wife. She carries religion close to her heart in hopes of gaining forgiveness from God. The dog bite on Anne’s face adds mystery to her identity. Anne clearly despises the physical appearance of the scar, but Rackham lifts her spirits by saying how it adds a sense of mystery.
The name of ships such as the William, Sweet Anne’s Revenge, and Destiny allude to something that the members of the ship hold dear to their hearts. The ship’s name thrusts a sense of pride among the crew. The island of New Providence alludes to a Utopia for all pirates. This is mainly because of it’s lack of government and rules. “Ah, New Providence: a lair of of prostitutes and pirates. No laws, no morals. The pirate doesn’t dream he will die and go to heaven; he dreams to return to New Providence” (Pg. 150). Pirates can do as they please and don’t have to face any repercussions.
However, Anne fears New Providence on her way back as she wonders what has become of her husband James. Edward alludes to Anne’s guardian angel. He was always there to help her when she was young and served as a father figure for her. Even when she’s on Rackham’s ship, she constantly thinks about what Edward would advise her. Epiphanies: Anne learned that men can do do things that will result in the punishment of women. Anne experienced this take place when she saw a prostitute being humiliated and beaten while the man received no punishment.
Anne realizes the frailty in human beings. She sees this all throughout her life from her mother and father, to slaves and Indians, and to her husband James. Catharsis: Anne: “… And I found my creator wonderfully powerfully and majestically artistic. I felt so small and insignificant among the wild winds and turbulent waves, or when I gazed upon the starry host in the night sky” (Pg. 30). This is an example of catharsis as Anne emphasized humanity’s insignificance and the greatness of God and his eloquent creations. … Deep calls to deep at the sound of thy waterfalls.
All thy breakers and all thy waves have rolled over me. The Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life” (Pg. 26). This occurs as Anne is reading to her dying mother. She fell in love with these words so much that she immediately decided to memorize them by heart. William: Anne’s found out that her father experienced a cathartic moment when she received a letter from Edward.
She was told that he was distressed and worried. Edward also said that he was much kinder now. “… My father had fallen on hard times... and now was inclined toward moral and philosophic reflection” (Pg. 175). When James notified William of Anne’s pregnancy, he was immediately ready to help. “He expressed great concern for your situation. Without hesitation he has asked to care for your child. He seems like a different man – more considerate” (Pg. 212). James: We see a cathartic moment when James went to visit Anne in prison.
While Anne kept cursing at him, he remained calm and brought her glad tidings. Once he left, both Anne and Mary were surprised by his character. “He’s nothing like I imagined him, like you described him… He’s changed. All of us have. He’s a man now” (Pg 213). James was willing to take the spot of Anne during her beaten. He stripped his shirt and stood in front of Anne with his hands raised, pleading for him to replace her. Motifs: Disguises: Disguises are one of the most notable motifs seen throughout this book.
During Anne’s time at New Providence and aboard Sweet Anne’s Revenge. Anne discovered that disguising herself as a male has made life much more pleasant as she was no longered attacked, but rather respected. The most surprising disguise was that of Mary Reade. While on the Sweet Anne’s Revenge, she fooled everyone, including Rackham himself, that she was a woman. Her identity was eventually discovered as Rackham though John Reade and Anne were committing adultery. Mary then revealed her identity to Rackham. Love: Love is another motif seen through this piece.
Throughout the book, Anne has developed feelings for Edward, James, Rackham, and John Reade who happened to end up being a woman named Mary. We also learn about Mary’s tragic love story and how it fueled her to join the crew. Symbols: Lack of Government: A lack of government symbolizes a piratic, chaotic life that pirates crave. They live their lives without any laws. As a matter of fact, the closest thing they have to a law is the agreement Rackham forced all his crew members to sign. They choose to live through a majority rule system.
Prostitution: Prostitution reveals the large discrepancy of power between genders. Men are constantly engaging in prostitution however if they are caught, the men get to walk away freely while the women are publically humiliated. Anne was nearly a victim of rape multiple times. For example, Frederick Jones, Throckmorton, and a pirate in New Providence nearly raped Anne. Frailty in Society: This book reveals that people of all races and backgrounds have some sort of insecurity in life. Anne was extremely observant of this in her husband James as she states,”Fight for me!
Find your backbone! Be a man! ” (Pg. 72). Anne also noticed this in the pirates themselves as she states,”… despite the cruelty and violence that they experienced, they possessed sensitivity in their eyes” (Pg. 109). Adventure: The crave for adventure symbolizes insecure pasts that many of these characters experience. With James being a runaway servant and Anne under the tight grip of her father, the two escape to get a taste of freedom and adventure. The death of Mary Reade’s husband also motivated her to live life to the fullest and join Rackham’s crew.
Archetypes: Anne’s story is clearly Prodigal. We see this when she fled the Carolinas with James and at the end of the book, returned with James, her father, and Edward. Anne’s story also has a bildungsroman archetype. Despite the fact that Anne had lost much of her religious devotion as she was a pirate, she went back to religion as she was jailed and as James was being whipped. Themes: Religious uncertainty: Anne started off as a religious young woman in her time in Ireland as well as Charles Towne.
However, her religious dedication gradually decayed from the moment she escaped with James. When she was aboard Rackham’s ship, she occasionally marveled at God’s creations however she regularly committed adultery and her prayers were very few. “… It was clear my life had strayed far from God. I had been thinking little of Him or of his precepts… ” (Pg 109). “Those sculptures made me a believer of God… But all that seems so far away now” (Pg. 119). “I started to ask God for wisdom, but stopped because my conscience throttled me.
This made me want to rebel rather than repent” (Pg. 6). There was a moment when Anne fell overboard that everything in her life became still as she wished she could repent. This near death experience clearly startled her however she was quickly saved by Massaquehanna and Mary. Betrayal: Betrayal is a common theme seen throughout this piece. From Anne’s father betraying his wife to Anne betraying James to be with Jack Rackham, betrayal is seen all throughout the book. As Anne was in horrid condition is New Providence as she was living with James, she felt as if she betrayed her father and Edward.
Ethos: The aristocratic ethos is depicted as wealthy individuals who prioritize their social status among their peers. Anne’s father, William, owned a large plot of land and worked his slaves tirelessly. William refused to let Anne be with James as he was as servant and wasn’t worthy for her. Pirates ethos are depicted as individuals craving adventure and don’t fear death. However unlike in films, these pirates are educated individuals who hold poetry and works of literature dear to their heart. This is especially evident in Rackham as he had an entire library in his ship and would constantly be reading.
