“A High Wind in Jamaica” is masterpiece written by a Welsh writer, Richard Hughes, assuming a Caribbean setting during the mid-1800s. The novel later made its way into the filming industry in 1965 depicting the day-to-day lifestyle of children who lived on a pirate ship. This is after an attack from pirates led by the Danish sailor Captain Jonsen leaves them captured and all their cargo was taken. The captain who headed the children’s ship cowardly escapes and delivers news to their parents that the children are dead. Captain decides to leave the children with a caregiver on a pirate island; though this does not happen since an accident ensues, making the crew and the captives spend several months at sea. During this period, there exists the tension between the two parties in the ship and Captain Jonsen terribly makes decisions that affect the sustainability of the ship and eventually causing his downfall.
Captain Jensen decides to raid the Clorinda; however, is not very keen, thus, mistakenly the Bas-Thornton children remain on his ship. Jensen decides to sell his booty, but John, who is under no supervision as they leave the ship inevitably, faces death. The Pirates introduce the children into a dreadful and rebellious lifestyle; this makes the children develop a type of barbaric personality that makes them cause trouble on the ship and therefore influencing the decisions made by Captain Jonsen. The children were not normal children anymore, the immoral exposure thy got, made them behave in a way that disrupted the goals of Captain Jonsen as a pirate. If Jonsen left the children, he would have lived longer practicing his vile endeavors without interruptions even the author points out children to be very unpredictable, “ Possibly a case might be made out that children are not human either: but I should not accept it. Agreed that their minds are not just more ignorant and stupider than ours” (Hughes 113).
Jonsen has a drinking behavior and one night, as he gets drunk, he decides to visit the children’s cabin and touches Emily provocatively. This proves that Jonsen had sexual desires to the female counterparts especially Emily even as he sat down he would draw sexual imitations of women. It is very disturbing to learn how Jonsen does not realize that female captives are still children and acts upon them like their brains were ready to consume all the immoral encounters he would expose to them. This is evident in the statement, “Jonsen could only draw two things: ships and naked women. . . . He took the pencil: and before long, there began to appear between Emily’s crude uncertain lines round thighs, rounder bellies, high swelling bosoms, all somewhat in the manner of Rubens” (Hughes 10). For this reason, there was a tension between him and Emily and this one can conclude as a possible reason why she decided to testify against him and his crew. The fact that Emily was not even worried about what would happen to the Pirates shows how she had grown repulsive towards them.
When Jonsen satisfied his desires through the incident with Emily, Margaret decided to shun away from the other children and head into Jonsen's cabin, and a sexual relationship ensues between the two. Racheal hurts Emily, and the captain decides to take her to his cabin to nurse the wound. The captain then captures the captain of a Dutch ship and keeps the man in his cabin. At this point of time is where Emily kills the man. Afterward, Emily frames Jonsen for the same murder causing his execution.
Captain Jonsen decides to disguise the ship and puts the children on a steamship to England. Josen carefully asks the children not to say a word to anyone about their pirate life and everyone promises not to say anything to anyone. At first, no one says anything, but when Emily becomes agitated, a stewardess offers to take her to her room. While laying her on the bed, Emily breaks her promise to Josen as she tells the stewardess about him and his crew. The author states that “ He was all lying in his bloodhe was awful! Hehe died.” Sobbing hysterically, she began to talk about all she had seen, just as if it had been a party All Emily worries about are whether or not she said her piece correctly” (Hughes 137). Emily does not see any wrong in what she says, in fact, she feels relieved that someone else knows about Jose. Emily gives a false account of the murder Dutch captain's murder causing the conviction of the crew and the inevitable death of captain Josen, through hanging.
It is apparent that Captain Josen sailed through the sea committing many unspeakable crimes. Importantly, it is apparent that the mistakes that he made are attributable to his downfall. Often his careless attitude and ignorance makes him to engage in undertaking that eventually hurts him. In particular, his decision to interact with the children, whose personality was very impulsive, led to his downfall. Furthermore, the fact that he wished to dispose his captives without harming them was of high consequence. His fears also to be marked a kidnapper presents as a weakness. The choice that he makes does not portray Josen as a true pirate.
Works Cited
Hughes, Richard. A High Wind in Jamaica. New York: New York Review. 1999. Print
