Sunday, March 29, 2015

When Phillip first realizes that he is blind in The Cay, he does all of the following except what?Please tell me all the answers.

You do not mention what your choices of answers are, but the account of Phillip's reaction when he realizes he is blind is found at the end of Chapter 4, and you can figure out the answer to your question by process of elimination.


In the first hour after Phillip finds out that he is blind, he has a number of reactions.  He puts his hand in front of his face, and realizes that he cannot see it, even though Timothy has just told him it is day.  He screams to Timothy, "I'm blind, I'm blind".  After Timothy becomes aware that Phillip is indeed blind, Phillip gets down on the raft, "blinking (his) eyes again and again, trying to lift the curtain of blackness".  He touches his eyes and notes that they do not feel any different, then he tells Timothy that the pain in his head has gone away.  Timothy tells Phillip about a man he once knew who became blind after a head injury, but who recovered his sight after three days, and Phillip asks Timothy if he thinks that is what will happen to him.


As he lies in the darkness, the full impact of his situation hits Phillip, and he begins to crawl, screaming for his mother and his father.  Phillip is "so frightened that it (is) hard for (him) to breathe".  At one point, his "fear turn(s) to anger", and he takes out his rage on Timothy, pummeling him with his fists.  Timothy tries to comfort Phillip, and says patiently under his blows, "If dat will make you bettah, go 'ead".  Finally, Phillip exhausts himself, and falls back on the hot boards of the raft (Chapter 4).

No comments:

Post a Comment