How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I asked, "Timothy, where is your home?"
"St. Thomas," he said. "Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas." He added, "'Tis a Virgin Islan'."
"Then you are American," I said. I remembered from school that we had bought the Virgins from Denmark.
He laughed, "I suppose, young bahss. I never gave it much thought. I sail all d'islan's, as well as Venezuela, Colombo, Panama. I jus' nevar gave it much thought I was American." (4.9)
Phillip tells Timothy that the Dutch sold his island, St. Thomas, to America. But who lived on St. Thomas before the Dutch invaded it? What happened to them? And what does it mean for Phillip and Timothy to both technically be Americans?
Quote #8
I trusted Timothy, and kept telling myself that he wouldn't harm me, but it was the whole mysterious jumbi thing that was frightening. (11.51)
Though they are friends, there are parts of Timothy's culture and background that are scary or confusing for Phillip. One of these is his belief in voodoo, part of his Caribbean heritage.
Quote #9
I saw Henrik van Boven occasionally, but it wasn't the same as when we'd played the Dutch or the British. He seemed very young. So I spent a lot of time along St. Anna Bay, and at the Ruyterkade market talking to the black people. I liked the sound of their voices. Some of them had known old Timothy from Charlotte Amalie. I felt close to them. (19.40)
After his return to Curaçao, Phillip finds he no longer connects with his former friend Henrik. Instead, he spends time with the black West Indian people. Why do you think this is?