Miss Maggie - A Magnificent Mentor Of Survival
DescriptionAn essay that explores Beyond The Bright Sea's character of Miss Maggie to prove that she, above any other character, would be the perfect companion if stranded on a deserted island.
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ImageLauren Wolk
Survival of the fittest is certainly not a myth. Beyond the Bright Sea, written by Lauren Wolk, is primarily set on the small island of Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts, nearing the coast of the notorious Penikese Island, where a leper colony once stood. There are three main characters, with the youngest being Crow, a skinny 12-year-old girl with dark skin and a feather birthmark. She lives on Cuttyhunk with her two guardians, Osh and Miss Maggie, both of which act as parental figures for the orphaned Crow. Out of the two of them, though, Miss Maggie plays the largest role in Crow's life, not necessarily being her main caretaker, but more as a strong, intelligent, maternal guide for Crow as she grows. Miss Maggie is the best to be stranded on an island with, as her resourcefulness, intelligence, and farming skills make her an adequate companion in such a dire situation.Miss Maggie is resourceful as she skinned dead rabbits to make a fur lining inside of her coat to avoid the cold. Miss Maggie, who lives in a small cottage on Cuttyhunk Island with lots of livestock, is able to care for them in such a way that even though they are fed the same food as all the other animals on Cuttyhunk, they produce the best products. But even when they don't fill this standard, like when her rabbits die in the frigid winter, she nonetheless manages to put her animals to good use. “Then she lined her coat with their pelts and was much the warmer for it” (Wolk 17). Miss Maggie could have very well just buried her frozen rabbits, but instead, she saw it as an opportunity to make something out of nothing, making a fur lining for her coat and, later, a delicious rabbit stew for Crow. Most people would have just got rid of them, but Maggie is not like most, always trying not to waste and be resourceful with what she has, showing her thought process. However, one could bring up the fact that she is not one in a million. Since Osh and Miss Maggie are so close, they could very well have a similar mindset. So, being stranded on a deserted island with Miss Maggie could be exactly the same as if you were with Osh instead. Maybe even better, as Osh built a house out of beach scraps he managed to gather. While being smart and resourceful, shelter is much more important. He can cook as well, and while it may not be as good as Miss Maggie’s, it is still something, because your really don't need great meals when your barely surviving, just decent ones. But resourcefulness is not Maggie's only ability, as her intellect is just as grand.Miss Maggie is also brilliant with her animals, making sure they were happy in their environments, leaving her with the best milk, butter, and eggs on Cuttyhunk. Within the book, Crow is describes multiple times how smooth and soft Miss Maggie's hands are, saying how they remind her of the inside of an oyster shell. But as soft as her hands are, Miss Maggie is quite the worker, maintaining her livestock’s happiness even at her own inconvenience. But, when it's all said and done, that hard work lets her create whatever fantastic foods come to her mind. Miss Maggie often treats her animals as her friends, speaking in soft tones to them, and caring about them. She also tends to her hens needs by giving them an overwhelming amount of marigolds and barley. “And although they ate the same oats as all of the other Cuttyhunk cows, hers gave the best milk on the island, so her butter was the best, too. And she made her hens so happy with marigolds and barley that they laid like troupers and hatched more chicks than any on the Elizabeth Islands” (Wolk 14-15). Caring for livestock takes a lot of skill and knowledge, and not many can do it, proving that she really knows how to run a farm. Even if she feeds them just like all other livestock in Cuttyhunk, she will ALWAYS have the superior product, because her care and intelligence ensures that her animals are the best treated out of all of them. While Miss Maggie is smart, that does not mean she is better than everyone else. Being stranded on an island really only requires basic survival skills, making a shelter, and knowing how to plant food. Miss Maggie’s intelligence is a little over the top. Sure it may help but it's not like Osh can't do anything she can do. He knows how to build and cook; it may not be the same quality, but on a deserted island, you only need the bare minimum of survival skills. Though regardless, Miss Maggie can definitely be a big help, and her biggest advantage over everyone else is not her resourcefulness or brilliance, but this: her green thumb.Miss Maggie has quite the green thumb, practically running an entire farm on her own. On Cuttyhunk, there are no supermarkets or grocery stores, so Miss Maggie has to grow all of her ingredients from the ground while also facing the difficulty of making her delicious meals from scratch. To start this process, she would plant the seeds as soon as she could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin. This insured the great quality her products are known for. Crow repeatedly mentions how Miss Maggie always takes care of her when she is sick, and seems to be the only person who can truly make her feel better. “And I did eat every spoonful; no one else on Cuttyhunk made better soup than Miss Maggie did, with vegetables that came from the finest garden on the islands” (Wolk 14). Having this knowledge is definitely key to survival on a desert island, and her ability to go from farm to food is unparalleled. The conditions have to be just right, although with Miss Maggie anything is possible. So, getting the supplies, knowledge, and skill to make and grow your own food makes Miss Maggie the best to be stuck on a desert island. Despite her skills, there is the huge chance that Miss Maggie is unfamiliar with the plants and animals on the island, therefore ruling her brilliance useless. Also, who knows what kind of soil and climate this island holds. There is virtually no way of proving the environment of this deserted island. Not to mention, she has done all of her farming, as we know of, on Cuttyhunk Island, which tends to be a relatively good spot for farming. But, at the end of the day, if the conditions are even remotely similar to those on Cuttyhunk, than Miss Maggie’s skills will pull through, making her perfect to be stuck on an island with.Because of her resourcefulness, intelligence, and farming ability, Miss Maggie is the best to be stuck on a deserted island with. Her skill of turning one thing into three if she wanted to makes her rise above the rest, proving her excellence in such a situation. To our understanding, Osh, while being just as resourceful, maybe even a little less, has only built a cottage. Sure in some cases people would think that it is impressive, but Maggie has far more creativity when it comes to this kind of thing. Miss Maggie is very bright, making Osh and Crow no match for her. Sure, Osh has some smarts, but he really isn’t anything special. The idea of farming comes into play a lot with this topic, wanting to have the best food to be able to insure a solid and consistent food supply, and Miss Maggie can do just that. No one else has the same connection to the Earth that she does, and when picking the wrong side could result in death, you want to make sure you have the smartest, most resourceful, and agricultural companion, which would be Miss Maggie of course. Her skills make picking her to be stranded on a deserted island a no-brainer, and it's clear that no one else can compare.
Sources
Wolk, Lauren. Beyond the Bright Sea. Penguin Young Readers Group, 2017.
