Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Summary of Plot Plot Overview
As Island of the Blue Dolphins opens, Karana and her brother, Ramo see a ship approaching their island.
When the ship lands, the chief of their village (also their father), Chowig goes to meet the visitors, along with a
number of his warriors. The representative of the strangers is Captain Orlov, a Russian, who has come with a
native American tribe known as the Aleuts to hunt otter on the island of the blue dolphins (known to its
inhabitants as Ghalas-at). There is disagreement between the two, for the Aleuts had caused trouble on the
island some years before. Finally, Chowig and Orlov reach an agreement, and the people of Ghalas-at let the
Aleuts hunt otter on their island in return for half of their profits in the form of jewelry and iron spearheads. The
Aleuts set up camp at one end of the island, and the Aleuts and the people of Ghalas-at keep close watch over
on another, suspicious of being double-crossed. When the Aleuts start getting ready to leave, Chowig and his
warriors ask for their payment. A fight breaks out. When the battle is done, the Aleuts have escaped, and many
of the men of Ghalat-at have been killed, among them Chowig.
A new chief, Kimki, comes to power, and after a dreary and sad winter, he decides his tribe should leave
Gahlas-at. He sets off alone to prepare a way for them in a new county he had visited as a boy. He is gone for a
long time, but one day a ship with white sails comes to Ghalas-at. It carries a group of white men who say they
were sent by Kimki to take the islanders away. The day is stormy, so the villagers need to board the boat quickly
before the ship runs aground on the rocks of the island. In the confusion, Ramo forgets his hunting spear. Karana
tells him there is no time to go back for it, but once Karana is on the ship, Ramo is nowhere to be found. As the
ship pulls away from the island, Karana sees Ramo, with his spear, back on the beach. Though others on the
boat try to restrain her, Karana jumps into the water and swims back to the island.
Back on the island, Ramo and Karana work hard to provide for themselves. They gather food and prepare to
stay for some time on the island—at least until the ship returns to take them away. Though Ramo is young, he is
very confident and tries to do many things on his own. One morning, Karana awakes to find that Ramo is gone.
She goes out to look for him, only to find him dead, killed by the wild dogs of the island.
After Ramo is killed, Karana decides to leave her village forever. She burns it and sets up camp on a rock near
the headland. She makes tools to defend herself, although the laws of her tribe bar a woman from making
weapons. She watches everyday for the ship that will take her away, but it never comes.
Knowing that she could be on Ghalas-at for some time, Karana builds herself a house and some stronger
weapons. Once she has finished these necessities, Karana decides it is time to exact her revenge on the wild
dogs that killed her brother. She used fire to scare them out of their cave, and strikes down their leader along
with several others. The lead dog is strong, however, and is able to escape even with an arrow lodged deeply in
his chest. Days later, Karana finds the same dog, barely alive. Instead of killing him, she takes him home and
nurses him back to health. The two become fast friends, and the dog, whom Karana calls Rontu even defends
her from his former pack mates.
One day, the Aleuts, who had killed so many of Karana's friends and family, return to Ghalas-at. Karana sets
up a second house in a cave to hide from them. One day, however, an Aleut girl discovers Karana by her house.
Though Karana is wary and suspicious of the girl, whose name is Tutok, the two eventually become close friends.
They exchange gifts and talk by the fire (though they do not speak the same language). When the Aleuts have
finished hunting, the girl has to go with them, and Karana feels more alone than ever.
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Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Karana continues her work on her house, and becomes more and more comfortable on the island. She makes
herself new clothes and befriends a number of other animals, including birds, an otter, and a fox. Years later,
when Rontu dies, Karana takes his son from the cave of the wild dogs. She tames the dog, and names him
Rontu-Aru.
After her long stay on the island, another ship comes to her harbor. Realizing that it is time for her to leave,
and missing human contact, Karana gathers her things and, with Rontu-Aru, leaves Ghalash-at.
Character List
Karana (also Won-a-pa-lei) - The protagonist and narrator of the book, Karana spends eighteen years as the only
living person on the island of the blue dolphins.
Rontu - The leader of the pack of wild dogs that lives on Ghalas-at, Rontu was brought to the island by the
Aleuts. Tutok - Tutok is an Aleut girl that comes with a hunting party after Karana has spent a few years on the
island. Tutock happens upon Karana's dwelling and the two eventually become friends, though Tutok eventually
has to leave with her people. Tutok is the first human contact Karana has in many years, and reminds her just
how lonely she I upon the island.
Ramo (Chief Tanyositlopai) - Karana's six-year-old brother is a very enthusiastic boy. He is confident and proud
of himself and his heritage, and often rash (as young boys are wont to be).
The Aleuts - Another Native American tribe that often comes to Ghalas-at to hunt otter
Ulape - Karana's fourteen-year-old sister, Ulape likes jewelry and boys. Before she leaves the island, she paints
the sign on her face that means she is unmarried.
Chowig - The chief of the people of Ghalas-at at the beginning of the book. A strong and confident leader,
Chowig is mistrustful of the Aleuts that come to Ghalas-at to huntCaptain Orlov - The Russian leader of the
Aleut expedition to Ghalas-at, Orlov is snide and deceptive. He is profit-oriented and willing to take what he
wants.
Kimki - Chosen as chief after Chowig is killed by the Aleuts, Kimki is an old and venerated member of the tribe.
Matasaip - Matasip takes over as chief in Kimki's absence, and is in charge the day everyone leaves the island.
He is an effective leader, though not very important to the plot.
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Analysis of Characters
Karana is the only character that plays a major role in Island of the Blue Dolphins. For most of the novel, she is
the only human being on Ghalas- at. Living alone on Ghalas-at tests her resilience, and as the story progresses,
Karana grows through her experiences into harmony with herself and the world around her. She considers
animals to be very much like people, even though they do not talk. She knows that her tribesmen would
consider her resolution ridiculous, but her animal friends are so important to her that she cannot bear to kill
them.
General Themes1) Forgiveness and trust- After Ramo is killed and Karana is left alone on Ghalas-at, she has many enemies and
no friends. She is harassed constantly by the wild dogs of her island, and lives with the vague fear in the back of
her mind that one day the Aleuts that killed her people will return to the island. Eventually, Karana is forced into
confrontation both with the wild dogs and with the Aleuts. In each case she has the opportunity to take her
revenge, but doesn't.. What Karana receives from her trust is a rewarding relationship that she will remember
and think about for the rest of the novel.
2)Loneliness and companionship- Karana progresses through several states of loneliness during her time on the
island. When she is first stranded, and he brother is with her, she does not mention feeling any loneliness at all.
However, her loneliness grows after her first winter alone. The desire to have someone to talk with lingers with
Karana for the rest of her story, and it is probably the main reason she decides in the end to leave her home and
go out into the unknown.
3)Moral Development- When Karana is first left alone on the island, her moral ideology is more or less identical
to that of her people. As the story progresses, however, Karana develops her own moral code. an enemy
Hunting and killing animals was a necessary part of her tribe's economy, but Karana no longer wishes to kill
animals because she sees them as very much like people. Karana admits that her friends and family would likely
find her decision that animals are like people amusing, but she has come to it through her own experience sticks
by it.
Symbols
1)Dolphins appear twice in Island of the Blue Dolphins, once when Karana is returning Ghalas-at after her failed
expedition across the sea, and again as at the end of the novel when Karana is watching her island fade into the
distance as she rides away on the white men's ship.
2)The mark of maidenhood occurs when Karana's tribe is leaving Ghalas-at Her sister Ulape make the signs on
her face to signify that she is unmarried. When Karana leaves the island eighteen years later, she also makes this
mark on her face. Not only is the mark a symbol of maturity, but it is also a symbol of hope for a new life.
Key Facts
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Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
full title · Island of the Blue Dolphins
author · Scott O'Dell
type of work · Novel
genre · Historical Fiction
language · English, with a few references to Native American languages
time and place written · Written in 1960, mostly in California
date of first publicaton · 1960
publisher · Bantam Doubleday Dell
narrator · Karana (a.k.a. Won-a-pa-lei)
climax · The white men rescue Karana from the island.
protagonist · Karana
antagonist · None
setting (time) · 1835–1853
setting (place) · Ghalas-at, an island off the coast of California, also known as San Nicolas
point of view · The novel is written only from Karana's point of view (first person)
falling action · The arrival of the white men on Ghalas-at
tense · Past
foreshadowing · Island of the Blue Dolphins does not rely heavily on foreshadowing. The most prominent case
occurs at the beginning of the novel, where Chowig's attitude suggests past difficulties with the Aleuts. A
disastrous battle between Karana's people and the Aleuts follows.
tone · Very frank and matter of fact. Narrative voice is flowing and very metaphorically expressive.
Important Quotes
1)I felt as if I had been gone a long time as I stood there looking down from the high rock. I was happy to be
home. Everything I saw - the otter playing in the kelp, the rings of foam around the rocks guarding the harbor,
the gulls flying, the tides moving past the sandspit - filled me with happiness.
2)Below me, Rontu was running along the cliff barking at the screaming gulls. Pelicans were chattering as they
fished the blue water. Far off I could hear the bellow of a sea elephant. But suddenly, as I thought of Tutok, the
island seemed very quiet.
3) Ulape would have laughed at me, and others would have laughed, too - my father most of all. Yes this is the
way I felt about the animals who had become my friends and those who were not, but in time could be. If Ulape
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and my father had come back and laughed, and all the others had come back and laughed, still I would have felt
the same way, for animals and birds are like people, too, though they do not talk the same or do the same
things. Without them the earth would be an unhappy place.
4) Until that summer, I had kept count of all the moons since the time my brother and I were alone on the
island. For each one that came and went I cut a mark in a pole beside the door of my house. There were many
marks, from the roof to the floor. But after that summer I did not cut them anymore. The passing of the moons
now had come to mean little, and I only made marks to count the four seasons of the year. The last year I did
not count those.
Author Information
Scott O’Dell was born on May 23, 1898 in Los Angeles, Ca. He traveled all over Southern California and was
able to see and experience many different things. His family moved around a lot because his father was a
railroad worker. When he was young, he loved to be outdoors and especially enjoyed playing in the water and
experiencing sea life.
Scott O’Dell attended Occidental College in 1919, the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1920, Stanford
University from 1920-21 and the University of Rome in 1925. He only took classes that helped him in his writing
career and interested him. As an adult he had several different jobs before he became a writer. He was a
cameraman for Hollywood and even worked on the film Ben Hur. He served in the Air Force during World War
II, and at one time he was even a rancher. Scott O’Dell began writing both nonfiction and fiction books for
adults and articles in 1934. During the 1940s and 1950s he worked as a book columnist for the Los Angeles
Mirror and as a book editor for the Los Angeles Daily News. In the late 1950s he began writing children’s books.
The contributions he made to children’s literature were phenomenal. He received many awards for his work.
The first award he received was the Newbery Medal in 1961 for probably one if his best know works: Island of
the Blue Dolphins. Three of his books of historical fiction were named Newbery Honor Books. They are: The
King’s Fifth (1966), The Black Pearl (1967), and Sing Down the Moon (1970). Scott O’Dell received the Hans
Christian Anderson Award for lifetime achievement in 1972. In 1976 he received the University of Southern
Mississippi Silver Medallion and the Regina Medal in 1978. In 1981, he established the Scott O’Dell Historical
Fiction Award, an award that recognizes outstanding works of historical fiction. The books must be published in
English by a U.S. publisher and must be set in the New World (North, Central, and South America). Winners
receive $5,000. In 1986, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books awarded Scott O’Dell with this same
award. Scott O’Dell died on October 15, 1989.
Citations
1) SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Island of the Blue Dolphins.” SparkNotes.com.
SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.s
2) http://library.thinkquest.org/J001156/author%20reviews/em_odell_bio.htm
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_the_Blue_Dolphins
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