Tag Archives: theme

Determination is a huge theme in the novel Transatlantic. Each book talks about characters who have great determination. And while although we only get to see a short part in each characters experience throughout the three books, we can see how each character has great determination. In the first book Alcock and Brown are flying to Ireland. Their flight doesn’t go smoothly to say the least. But both of them had great determination to get across the ocean safely and land in Ireland. Both these characters face a close death when their plane almost crashes into the sea. They start to spin out of control heading straight for the sea. Although they are panicking because they could be underwater any minute now, they are extremely determined to get the plane upright and flying again. McCann writes, ” The sea stands soldier-straight and dark. Light where the water should be. Sea where the light should crest. Ninety feet. Eighty-five. That’s the sun. Christ, it’s the sun, Teddy, the sun! There. Eighty now. The sun! Alcock gives the machine a mouthful of throttle. Over there. Open her. Open her. The engines catch. He fights the jolt. The sea turns” (McCann 74). This quote shows how the men had great determination. They were going to try everything in their power in order to stop the plane from crashing. 

Another character who showed great determination was Lily. Although at times it seems that Lily did not fully enjoy all the dirty jobs that she was assigned to do, she was very determined to do her job the right way. She never complained. She either ignored the soldiers when then called her names or “whispered obscenities” or she would make something up like she was a Quaker to get them to stop. She did many different jobs and did them well. Her determination showed in everything she did because she needed that job. “She cleaned the bedpans, changed the sheets, stuffed the mattresses with clean straw, soaked cotton balls with camphor. Scrubbed the bloody operating tables clean with sand. Still, the smell was intolerable. The reek of excrement and blood. She longed to be outside with the filthy clothing once more, but she proved to be a good aide and the surgeons liked her” (McCann 349).  This quote shows how good of a nurse she was. And although she wasn’t fond of all the jobs she had to do, she did them anyways. Without complaining and she did them well.