Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Literary Elements

Historical Fiction

Primarily Salem, Massachusetts, and at sea on various ships from the late 18th to the early 19th century.

The novel is told from the third-person point of view of an unnamed narrator.

The tone of the novel is informative and inspiring; the mood oscillates between hopeful and challenging.

Nathaniel Bowditch vs. Societal expectations

The primary conflict is Nathaniel's struggle against the challenges he faces, including personal losses, his lack of education, and the dangers associated with inaccurate instruments of the time.

When Bowditch finally completes his navigational book The New American Practical Navigator.

Nathaniel's early fascination with mathematics and his tendency to correct his teachers foreshadows his later work in correcting navigational errors.

The breadth and impressive nature of Bowditch's skills is understated because of his lack of a formal education.

There are allusions history (specifically well-known maritime events), historical figures, and classical texts.

There is stark imagery surrounding life aboard a ship which illustrates how difficult Bowditch's life is.

Despite Bowditch's lack of formal education, he becomes an expert in a field that requires a great deal of knowledge which is typically acquired from formal education.

N/A

The phrase "All hands on deck" is used to refer to an emergency on ship in which help is needed.

Bowditch's ship is personified in the novel.