Arrival at Santos

The speaker of “Arrival at Santos” appears to be sincere in their disclosures, but the writer leaves them open to critique and even mockery. The way the speaker views the country around them displays self-indulgence and ignorance that is narrow-minded. The speaker arrives at a new country, an experience some might consider a luxury, yet their only thoughts are complaints. The strongest example is when they speculate that the postage stamps slip from the envelopes because the glue is “very inferior” (Line 38). In fact everything, from the scenery to the churches and the color of paint to be inferior, yet, they also offer that the stamps may be slipping “because of the heat” (Line 39). This gives the reader a second explanation that is less judgmental, leaving it up to the audience to ask why the speaker automatically assumes that the country’s glue is inferior and only as an afterthought considers the geographical reason why the stamps may be slipping.

The speaker also treats the American passengers differently from those who are tasked with helping them travel. Bishop here inserts this bit of dialogue: “Please, boy, do be more careful with that boat hook” (Line 23). “Boy” is often treated as a derogatory term, infantilizing grown men by referring to them with this appellate instead of the more polite “sir” or “mister.” The speaker presumes to tell him how to do his work, treating this employee of the ship as their personal servant. This snobbery emphasizes a feeling of being other and outside the realm they have just entered.

The speaker is perhaps masking their own feelings of discomfort by treating each new experience with hostility and the assumption of cultural supremacy. For instance, they do not know Portuguese, so they hope others will speak English. They do not know why the postage stamps are slipping, so they assume the glue is inferior.

Notice that after the introduction of Miss Breen the speaker starts using “we” to describe their experience, for example, “we are driving to the interior” (Line 40). Here the speaker begins dividing the memory of their experience into “us” and “them.” This indicates the speaker wants to remain part of a group and is claiming the other passengers as their new community, while distancing this community from the Brazilians.

The fact, the speaker writing letters from the boat suggests a longing to be in contact with the familiar. Postage allows one to send communication to friends and family. If the stamps won’t cling to the mail, that disrupts the traveler's ability to stay in contact, emblematic of ther slipping connection to home.

Faced with a new country, where the speaker finds themselves ill-prepared, the speaker relies on class position to bolster and bully their way through.