People of the Whale

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2008

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 4

Part 1, Chapters 5-9

Part 2, Chapters 10-13

Part 2, Chapters 14-17

Part 3, Chapter 18-20

Part 3, Chapters 21-23

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue Summary

A narrator describes a coastal community deeply connected with the ocean and its history. The community perceives the ocean as a great being, inspiring songs and reverence among the tribe. The setting is marked by its natural beauty, including black rocks, tree-covered islands, and remnants of past inhabitants, the Mysterious Ones, who left behind shell houses, now only visible in memory. The narrative mentions a tragic event in 1910 when influenza arrived with white whalers, coinciding with a mudslide that buried the shell houses.

The land and sea hold various significant sites: caves revealed at low tide; a pile of treasures where Witka, a revered elder, communicated with whales; and remnants of old boats and whalebones repurposed for practical uses. There’s a special beach where whales used to rub off barnacles.

The community lives in harmony with nature, fishing in calm waters. However, there’s a sense of secrecy and protection; the place is in Washington, but its location beyond that description stays vague. The narrative ends on a contemplative note. A man turns his back to the sea, his emotions unclear—he is perhaps feeling hate, remorse, or grief. Ultimately, his presence fades from the community’s consciousness over time.

Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “Octopus”

An octopus leaves the ocean and enters a land cave, an event coinciding with the birth of Thomas Just on July 2, 1947. This occurrence stirs awe and fear among the coastal community: Despite being accustomed to the sea’s mysteries, they have never witnessed such an act. The octopus’s journey from sea to land is seen as a significant omen, with its eye seeming to recognize each onlooker, “as if each one were known in all their past, all their future” (15).

The community’s response is varied; while some propose practical uses for the octopus, like bait, others, led by a powerful woman, argue for its protection, believing it to have a special purpose. The people leave offerings at the cave’s entrance, including sage, red cedar, and personal treasures, reflecting their reverence and belief in the octopus’s spiritual significance.

Thomas’s mother, nourished in infancy by whale and seal fat, perceives the octopus as a holy creature and entrusts her newborn son to its guardianship, leaving her father’s pearl as an offering. This act links Thomas to Witka, his grandfather, who was a revered whaler with deep knowledge of the sea.

The narrator outlines Witka’s life and practices. The man could communicate with whales and ensure successful hunts, and the community relied on his expertise and spiritual connection with the sea. Witka’s death left a lasting impact on the community and his family, particularly his daughter, Thomas’s mother.

Thomas, now living in his grandfather’s house, struggles with his inner demons and memories. He is a troubled soul, shaped by his family’s legacy and his own experiences, including his time in the war.

Part 1, Chapter 2 Summary: “Deathless”

Thomas, who is from a small Indigenous community, enlists in the army, leaving behind his pregnant wife, Ruth. She possesses a deep connection to the water, hearing things others don’t. Ruth and Thomas share a powerful bond, with their marriage symbolized by Ruth’s shell-adorned dress. Thomas’s departure for war deeply affects Ruth, who moves onto a boat, continuing her life with fishing, accompanied by a dog named Hoist. She gives birth to their son, Marco, who exhibits characteristics akin to his mother, including webbed toes.

The narrative shifts to Ruth’s challenging life without Thomas, marked by her father’s death and an assault by Thomas’s father. Despite these hardships, Ruth maintains a strong belief in Thomas’s survival, supported by her visions and dreams. Years pass with Ruth raising Marco, who also shows a deep connection to the water. Thomas eventually returns from the war, creating a blend of anticipation, hope, and despair. However, the climax reveals that Thomas doesn’t arrive as expected, leaving Ruth and Marco in a state of uncertainty and heartbreak.

Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary: “Body Lies”

Thomas grapples with his identity and the lies that he feels define his existence: “My body is made of lies. There are lies on my tongue” (45). Unsure of his truth, he comes to view his ancestors’ honesty and purity as a stark contrast to his current state. Opting not to return home, he walks away from the airport, pondering his separation from his past life and the family he left behind.

Thomas is tormented by his experiences during the Vietnam War and his subsequent life in a Vietnamese village, where he had another family. He constantly hears the doctor’s questions about his time in captivity: “Did you have anything to do with the communists? Did they hold you or question you or wound you in any way?” (49). Thomas’s responses are evasive and focused on his work as a rice grower, avoiding direct answers about his experiences and allegiances.

Haunted by memories of both his lives and families, Thomas struggles with his dual identities. He feels divided between his love for Ruth and his life in Vietnam with Ma and Lin. He believes in the capacity for limitless love but is also aware of his doomed situation, having lived in fear of being discovered and killed during the war.

His emotions are complex and conflicted. While he feels disconnected from his American identity, he also harbors deep feelings for Ruth and Marco. Thomas’s internal conflict is exemplified by his reaction to the doctor’s encouragement to cry, as Thomas feels hatred yet is unable to express it. Thomas is a man lost between two worlds, struggling to reconcile his past with his present and burdened by the lies that he believes define him.

Part 1, Chapter 4 Summary: “The Wife of Marco Polo”

Ruth reflects on her life after Thomas does not return from war. She ponders the unknown stories of women left behind, thinking, “The wife combs her hair. She takes on a job, a mission, a love, or she becomes weak with sadness” (52). Ruth finds a certain calm in solitude, likening herself to a tide pool filled with life, waiting for its element to return.

Ruth’s life remains connected to the ocean. She takes Marco to the sea, teaching him about marine life and writing his name in the sand. Ruth’s mother, Aurora, reveals that Ruth was born with gill slits, a rare genetic trait that makes her akin to the creatures of the sea. This revelation explains Ruth’s affinity for water and success as a fisherwoman. Aurora recounts the story of a girl from the sea, drawing parallels to Ruth’s life.

Marco is a special child too, deeply connected to nature and the ocean. He has visions of sea life and exhibits an understanding of the world around him. Aurora notes that Ruth always had a unique relationship with water, suggesting a destiny intertwined with the ocean.

Later, Ruth seeks out the midwife who helped deliver her, confirming the truth about her gill slits. She meets Dick Russell, a Forest Service worker, who helps her find her way in the forest. Ruth feels lost yet at home, illustrating her connection to both the forest and the ocean.

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 4 Analysis

From the initial chapters, Hogan emphasizes the importance of storytelling and mythology in the novel’s world. Key to this effort is his use of an omniscient narrator. The omniscient narration, with its lyrical language, situates the characters in the history of their community, casting them as emerging mythological figures in their own right. The omniscient narration relates the tales of Thomas’s grandfather and the origin stories of the tribe alongside the story of Thomas’s birth, which was marked by the extraordinary event of an octopus crawling onto land. Thomas’s story thus emerges as part of this tapestry of mythology.

Further establishing The Significance of Mythology and Spirituality is the setting of the novel. The ocean is not only a source of sustenance but also a living entity intertwined with the community’s spiritual life. The ocean imagery, as well as the ocean itself, builds a rich network of symbols that help depict the connections between the characters and the sea and blend mythological and real-world aspects in a way that reflects Indigenous worldviews. The landscape evokes a sense of mysticism and reverence, with the depth and vastness of the ocean serving as a general representation of the unknown and unknowable: the future and past, the psyche, and the interconnectedness of all living things.

The characters’ connection to mythology and their experience of spirituality, in turn, ties into the theme of Environmental Stewardship and Responsibility. To connect with the environment is to connect with oneself; to harm other people, or to harm oneself, is to disrespect nature. Humanity and nature are one and the same. This connection is literally embodied in Ruth, who was born with gill slits, and in Marco, who is born with webbed toes. These physical traits indicate the blurred line between human and aquatic life in the tribe, suggesting a deeper, almost mystical bond with the ocean. This portrayal resonates with Indigenous beliefs in the interconnectedness of humans with the natural world, where physical traits could be signs of a deeper spiritual connection or lineage. Incorporating these elements thus has two effects. First, it echoes the Indigenous view of myths and legends as vital parts of understanding and interacting with the world. Second, it foreshadows how characters’ failures or successes in exploring and respecting themselves will play out via their interactions with the natural world around them.

In these opening chapters, the novel’s reflections on significant historical events help to emphasize that the characters’ individual quests for healing are interwoven with the community’s quest for healing. The influenza outbreak brought by white whalers had a devastating effect on the community. The community’s contemporary struggles highlight the long-term impacts of colonialism and cultural loss. Thomas’s experiences in the Vietnam War and his subsequent disconnection from his roots exemplify not only the personal but also the collective trauma resulting from such historical events. Thomas’s struggle with his identity is central to the narrative. However, his internal conflict stems from—and is unresolvable without acknowledging—his trauma from the war, his sense of cultural dissonance on his return, and his search for belonging. His struggle is emblematic of the broader experiences of many veterans, particularly Native American veterans, who often face the challenge of reconciling their war experiences with their cultural identity.

In this context of Individual and Communal Healing, though, Ruth’s life, as she navigates her role as a single mother and her connection to the sea, offers a contrast to Thomas’s disconnection. Despite the difficulties she faces as a single mother, Ruth maintains a strong connection to her community and the natural world. The juxtaposition of their journeys thus offers a multifaceted look at how individuals navigate their connections to culture, family, and environment under the strain of external forces like war and societal change. While Thomas represents dislocation and the struggle to reclaim a lost identity, Ruth symbolizes continuity and the strength found in maintaining cultural connections. Placed together, their journeys illustrate the complex dynamics of cultural identity within Indigenous communities facing modern challenges.