The Cay

Did You Know?

• The book was adapted into a TV film in 1974 starring James Earl Jones as Timothy.
• The cay where they were stranded measured only one mile in length and half a mile in width.

Plot

The ship is torpedoed, and Phillip becomes stranded at sea with an elderly Black man named Timothy and a cat named Stew Cat. Phillip loses his sight, which Timothy attributes to staring at the sun. They reach a small cay in Devil's Mouth, measuring one mile by half a mile, where they build a hut and mark days with pebbles. For two months they survive by fishing and collecting rainwater. Despite initial communication barriers, they form a deep friendship, and Timothy teaches Phillip survival skills. A hurricane destroys their shelter; Timothy ties them to a palm tree but dies from exposure. Phillip buries him and is later rescued by a navy vessel. After multiple surgeries, his sight is restored—the blindness was caused by nerve damage from a head injury during the shipwreck. Phillip aspires to become a sea explorer and hopes to find the cay again.

Characters

Phillip Enright is an 11-12-year-old boy who, after being marooned, overcomes his initial racial prejudice and bonds with Timothy. Timothy is a West Indian from Charlotte Amalie in Saint Thomas, whose survival knowledge and patient teaching make Phillip self-sufficient. Stew Cat, originally belonging to a cook on the S.S. Hato, accompanies them. Grace Enright, Phillip's mother, is uncomfortable in Curaçao due to her racial prejudices and becomes separated from Phillip after the sinking. Phillip Enright Sr. works in an oil refinery producing aviation gas. Henrik van Boven is Phillip's Dutch friend in Curaçao, puzzled by Grace's prejudices.

Racism

The novel explores racial prejudice through Grace Enright, who longs for Virginia and is uncomfortable in Curaçao because of her biases against the predominantly Black bay workers. She instructs Phillip and his friend Henrik to avoid the bay area, a directive Henrik finds puzzling. Phillip initially adopts similar prejudices toward Timothy, but his views change as they spend time together. A pivotal moment occurs when Timothy reveals he is from Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas; Phillip notes this makes Timothy an American, referencing the Treaty of the Danish West Indies, while Timothy shows indifference. Through Timothy's teaching, Phillip becomes self-sufficient, and mutual respect grows into a deep bond. When Timothy dies after the hurricane, Phillip digs his grave and mourns deeply. After returning to Curaçao, Phillip spends time with workers at St. Anna Bay who knew Timothy, and he no longer harbors his earlier prejudices, demonstrating his complete transformation.

Controversy

The Cay received both acclaim and criticism for its impact on racial harmony, winning the Jane Addams Children's Book Award in 1970. In 1974, when NBC-TV adapted the story, the Council on Interracial Books for Children urged viewers to call stations if they found a racist message; the current chair of the Addams Award Committee said it was a mistake to have awarded the book. Taylor later reported the award was rescinded, though The Cay remains listed as an Addams winner; his claim is widely accepted. In 2020, the Burbank Unified School District banned the book from curriculum after four parents alleged potential harm to Black students. PEN America and the National Coalition Against Censorship opposed the ban, arguing the book supports discussions about contemporary racism.