Posted by John Williams on August 19, 1998 at 15:24:25:
In Reply to: Re: double-checking -- or Captain Flint a failure? posted by Tim Johns on August 19, 1998 at 11:25:42:
I guess this is pretty obvious, but also central to the character of the
Amazons (and their relationship with Captain Flint) is the absence of
their father.
In both Swallows and Amazons and Pigeon
Post, the plot revolves around their desire to keep Captain
Flint at home and available for action. In Swallowdale, at
the top of Kanchenjunga, the children stumble across the message left by
Jim Turner, and Bob and Molly Blackett 30 years before. This subtle and
moving scene (for me one of the best in the series) shows how hard it is
for the Amazons to escape their family history, even at a moment of
triumph.
So I think that underneath the bravado and clear cheerful voice,
there's a touch of loneliness about the Nancy. And surely Nancy
would not have been allowed to grow quite so headstrong if her father
had been around to keep her in order!
I wonder too if the fact that in Secret Water the
Swallows are following an agenda set by their father is the reason
why Nancy feels so left out that she starts making sarcastic comments
about the `Walker Expedition' and the Royal Geographic Society?