The Cay

The Cay is a children's novel written by Theodore Taylor. It was first published in 1969.

The Cay took only three weeks to complete. Taylor based the character of the boy in his book on a childhood playmate. The novel was published in 1969 and dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Plot

When World War II breaks out, Phillip Enright and his mother board the S.S. Hato to Miami because the mother feels it's unsafe to stay in Curacao. The ship is torpedoed, and Phillip is blinded by a blow on the head and stranded on the cay with Timothy, an old black man and a black cat. They build a hut, and keep track of the days by throwing pebbles in a can. They live alone together for two months. In the opening chapters of the book, the pair display significant difficulty in being able to tolerate and work with each other, partly because of young white Phillip's racial prejudice against the elderly black Timothy. The two characters learn to overcome their disdain for one another, and develop strong bonds of friendship by the end of the novel. Their relationship changes rapidly through out the novel starting with complete hate and them showing signs of teamwork to a point where Philip doesn't need Timothy anymore but Timothy needs Philip.

Controversy

The Cay received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award in 1970, but following criticism of the book, in 1976 the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom asked Taylor to return the award. Taylor complied, but stated the work was "a subtle plea for better race relations and more understanding."^[1] The book later became required reading in schools in dozens of U.S. states as well as internationally.

Adaptation and sequel

• The book was adapted as a one-hour TV drama in 1974 with Alfred Lutter III as Phillip, James Earl Jones as Timothy, and Gretchen Corbett as Phillip's mother.
• In 1993, Taylor published Timothy of the Cay, a book which tells both of Phillip's life after and of Timothy's life before the ordeal.

References