Although Marcia tempted us via e-mail with the idea of serving whale meat for our meal, she did not disappoint with her delicious clam chowder instead! She set up a fully loaded salad bar and then served a fruity dessert which reminded me of pear compote mixed into a cobbler - the best of both desserts rolled into one! Marcia even brought the book's setting into our dining experience by using dinner plates which had an early colonial state stamped on the bottom of each of them. Kudos to your creativity, Marcia!
Synopsis:
Bethia Mayfield is a young girl living on Martha's Vineyard in the 1600's. Her Puritan father is a minister who considers it of utmost importance to preach the message of salvation to the "salvages" living on the island. Although Bethia is restricted in what she may learn, where she may go, and with whom she may consort, she manages to slip free of the oppressiveness of her religion and gender through deceptive means in order to roam the island with Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, son of the Indian chieftain and nephew to the much-feared medicine man. Bethia and Caleb forge a secret bond of friendship which will ultimately change the direction of both their lives.
Comments:
Inspired by the true story of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College, Caleb's Crossing is a fascinating look at a time period in which not many literary works are centered. This book was an educational experience for us as well as entertaining and captivating in its descriptions of the beautiful island, the Puritan way of life, and educational requirements in colonial America. We did not realize Indians were allowed into college at such an early date or that Harvard had been established so early in our nation's history. We learned new terminology: bever, at board, salvages, chirurgeon, and more.
We marveled at the creative and unusual names the Puritans gave to their children: Solace, Makepeace, Goody, Patience, Rest, Consider, Thankful, and Watching. Puritans' lives were bound by so many rules and regulations. Marcia remarked on the irony that the Puritans who fled England to escape religious persecution and sought religious freedom in the colonies of the New World, were the first to persecute their own brothers and sisters if any dared to speak an idea or opinion contrary to Puritan theology at that time. Their theology led them to believe that every incident in their life, whether fortunate or unfortunate, was from God, and therefore must either be considered a blessing or a punishment. This conclusion meant that if disaster were to befall someone, then they must have sinned and would be bound to confess their alleged sins before the congregation.
For her part, Bethia did indeed feel that she was guilty of sins which had caused the deaths of beloved members of her family. However, she felt beyond redemption and regretfully carried that guilt with her throughout her entire life. Bethia was a character in whom we could feel her frustration. We wondered if she had ever truly felt peace and joy or if her sense of duty with minimal liberty had eternally robbed her of that blessing. Her choices in life were made for her: "What choice had I ever made that was fully my own? From birth, others had ordained my life's every detail." (p. 57) Bethia's passion and capability for learning were denied by her father. She wanted so badly to be taught as her brother was taught by her father. Instead, Bethia gleaned what little knowledge she could while attending to her myriad of chores. She took every opportunity, even creating some opportunities herself, to grow in knowledge. We felt it remarkable that she was so passionate about learning and discussed whether women in our society value the opportunities for learning which are so much more readily open and available to them today. Or do we only passionately hunger for that which we cannot obtain?
Caleb's intelligence and determination were equal to the task set before him. It was a daunting task to learn many new languages, understand the concept of the English man's god, dress and behave as an Englishman, and yet, Caleb managed to do it all so well that he was accepted into Harvard College. Caleb had the foresight to see that it was in his peoples' best interests if he could find a way to bridge the two cultures by educating himself in the Englishman's ways. "Life is better than death. I know this. Tequamuck says it is the coward's talk. I say it is braver, sometimes, to bend." (p.144) We agreed that we would have liked to have heard more from Caleb's voice in the narration. He was an amazing young man who deserved to have his story told.
Among the minor characters, we had to mention Noah Merry, the young man with whom an arranged marriage was made for Bethia. He was a good soul, very likeable, and his character became even more admirable when he paid to free Bethia from her servitude. He was a true friend to Bethia and came to her rescue in many ways over the years. On the other hand, we strongly disliked Bethia's brother, Makepeace, for most of the story. However, after Makepeace returns to the island, begins his own ministry, and marries, he appears to be happier. We concluded that he finally was doing what he really wanted, not what his father and grandfather wanted him to do, and he had worked through his jealousy of Bethia and Caleb and their ease of learning.
There were unexpected deaths and unfulfilled dreams in this story, and yet all of those instances were frustratingly authentic. It highlighted how difficult and fragile life was during the 17th century. "In this fallen world, such is our condition. Every happiness is a bright ray between shadows, every gaiety bracketed by grief. There is no birth that does not recall a death, no victory but brings to mind a defeat." (p. 283)
Memorable Quote:
"I went on, dutiful, trying to keep in mind what father preached, that all of this was God's plan, not his, not his father's, nor any man's. A small part of a grand design that we could not fathom. "Consider your mother's needlework," he said once, taking a piece from her hands. "The design is plain to us, when we examine the front, but the back of the piece does not reveal it." He turned it. "Here, you see the knots and the dangling threads. There is an outline of the pattern, but if we guess--is it a bird? Is it a flower? We might easily be mistaken. So it is with this life--we see the knots, we guess at the whole. But only God truly sees the beauty of his design." (p.57-58)
FAB Rating:
***** (5 out of 5 stars)
This story was well-written, thoroughly researched, and authentic to the time period. The author did an excellent job of painting a portrait of Puritan life in Massachusetts in the 1600's. Not only did we find ourselves thoroughly engrossed in the storyline, but we, like Caleb, learned so much about a different culture.
