The Cay

Theodore Taylor deliberately set out to write a text that teaches white children that racism is wrong. However, some critics noted that the portrayal of Timothy still relied on racist stereotypes. In your opinion, how successful is The Cay as an anti-racist text? Use evidence from the story and outside sources to support your argument.

Phillip’s coming-of-age journey is initiated by his blindness, which implies that if he had retained his sight, he would not have learned to see beyond race. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? If so, why?

Timothy’s dialogue is rendered in dialect, meaning that the spellings are changed to phonetically represent the sounds of his accent. Is the text enriched by the inclusion of phonetic dialect writing? Why or why not?

The Cay is told exclusively from Phillip’s perspective. How might the story have been different if it had been told from Timothy’s perspective instead? Use specific evidence from the text to support your answer.

Phillip asks Timothy if he comes from Africa, but Timothy only remembers living in the Caribbean. Given the history of North American colonialism, it is highly likely that Timothy’s ancestors were forcibly brought from Africa and enslaved in the Caribbean. Do your own research to explore how this heritage might have impacted Timothy’s life and character.

The characters in The Cay come from several different cultures: Phillip’s parents are from America; Henrik is Dutch; and Timothy has spent his life in the Caribbean. Phillip himself was born in America but mostly remembers living in Curaçao. Explore the interactions between these cultures and relate them to the story’s themes.

The Cay is set in the Caribbean during World War II. Why is this time period significant for the story? Explore how the war impacts Phillip’s life and the story’s themes.

Timothy and Phillip briefly discuss voodoo, a religious and cultural practice more commonly called Vodou or Vodun today, but Phillip does not fully understand it. Do your own research into Vodou. What did Phillip get right about it? What did he get wrong?