The Cay is a coming-of-age novel that explores Philip Enright's journey as he comes to understand the world he lives in and become more tolerant. Stranded at sea with Timothy forces him to deal with his prejudices hands on. Philip has a tendency to view himself superior to Timothy because he's white and American. He however starts to respect Timothy when he discovers he originates from the Virgin Islands which makes him American by default. Phillip's view of the world is marred by American imperialism. He's ignorant to the fact that the American government bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark, who initially seized it by force. The people of the Virgin Islands had no choice in whether their land could be sold or not.
The ignorance in Philip's world view is also visible when he assumes that Timothy must be from Africa, since his skin tone is similar to the images he had seen of Africans in the jungle. While it could be argued that Timothy's ancestors might have originated from Africa, Philip's assumptions are outright ignorant to the deep-rooted history of black people in Central America. When Philip has to depend on Timothy for survival, his perspective begin to change drastically. He gets to discover just how knowledgeable black people are, which goes a long way to dismantling the prejudice he's had against people of color.
By the time Timothy dies, and he is rescued, Philip is completely a different person. He returns to Curaçao and actively engages with the black community. The author was clear about his intention to spark debate on racism. Despite his intentions, the novel received a lot of backlash. His intentions were however not futile because it showcased that even a racist individual is capable of becoming a decent human being if given the opportunity to learn.
