Lifeboat 12

Because the novel is narrated from Ken’s point of view, the reader sees only his characterization of his stepmother, Nora. It seems natural that as a young teen, Ken’s relationship with his former nanny-turned-stepmother would be wrought with tension. However, Ken’s life circumstances add to the strain between them. Ken’s birth mother died when Ken was a baby, and Ken’s father married Ken’s nanny, Nora, a few years later. Ken wonders about his birth mother and wishes he knew more about her, so he easily finds faults in his stepmother.

Nora is not warm or tender by nature. She is often brusque toward Ken and more of a disciplinarian than a comforter. Ken feels like “her secondhand kid” (9) and contrasts his stepmother with the other moms at the train station when she sees him off. She does not show emotion or express her love for him, so Ken assumes she is glad to be getting rid of him. Other details about Ken’s family, however, provide some possible reasons for Nora’s seemingly callous exterior. Money is tight, and the war makes life difficult. Nora has Ken and her daughter Margaret to take care of, and like any mother, she is likely worried and exhausted much of the time.

By the end of the novel, Ken sees a different side of his “stepmum.” When he returns home, he overhears her talking to his father and the neighbors. He learns that she was worried about him and even cried for him. They share a special moment of tenderness when Ken explains that he went back to his cabin for his overcoat, and they both learn that this act is what saved his life. Ken’s realization that his stepmother loves him, even though she doesn’t express it often, is part of his growth in maturity. Their reconnection is a direct result of Ken’s near-death experience and is a positive outcome of Ken’s ordeal.

Fourth Officer Ronnie Cooper is an officer aboard the Benares, and he becomes the captain of Lifeboat 12. He must make the decision of whether to wait for rescue or sail toward Ireland in hopes of reaching land before the water supply runs out. Cooper is shown to be a levelheaded leader. He looks out for others, warning them not to drink the saltwater and acting quickly when the possibility for rescue is at hand. Ken looks up to Cooper as a hero, and Cooper’s presence helps develop the theme of The Definition of Bravery. Ken sees Cooper’s bravery and positivity, and this pushes Ken to continue to hope for rescue. Cooper also acts as a foil for Gunner Harry Peard. Ken notes that both men are brave but show their courage in different ways. While Peard is loud, brash, and bossy, Cooper is quiet and kind. Despite their differences, Ken notes that both are heroes.

Peard is a no-nonsense, take-charge man who always speaks his mind. He cares about the boys on the lifeboat but doesn’t express his care with tenderness. In Ken’s words, “Peard is bad-mannered and bossy, / but he gets the job done” (144). Peard often curses and shouts, but his direct way of problem solving proves to be helpful. He wraps a blanket around the feet of the boys who don’t have shoes, and he diffuses the dramatic situation of Paul’s outburst by downplaying Paul’s demand for water and warming his feet with a blanket. Peard also helps to give the boys hope by brushing it off when the merchant ship leaves without rescuing them. He makes this disappointment seem unimportant and reassures the boys that another ship will be along soon. Ken looks up to Peard’s direct and honest mannerisms. Even though most of the passengers on Lifeboat 12 think Peard is irrational for swimming when the ocean is calm, Ken thinks him brave and adventurous. Overall, Peard does much to help in the lifeboat, not only keeping up the boys’ spirits and solving problems, but also acting as a go-between alongside Ramjam Buxoo to pass messages between the groups of passengers.

Ramjam Buxoo is the leader in charge of the Lascar stewards aboard the City of Benares. He wears a uniform of black shoes “turned up at the toes” (55), white clothing, a turquoise sash, and a turban. He is presumably from India or another East Asian country and is Muslim. Ken describes Buxoo as young and self-confident. Aboard Lifeboat 12, Buxoo is helpful in translating between the Lascars and the British passengers, and he helps Peard as an “ambassador” (140) among the different groups on the lifeboat.

Mary Cornish is one of the escorts aboard the City of Benares. Ken first meets her when she hesitates to board Lifeboat 12 because she is worried about the girls she looks after. She is the only woman aboard Lifeboat 12, but this does not stop Mary from doing her part to help when she can and keeping others’ spirits up. Mary is not married, nor does she have children, and Peard uses this as a reason to ridicule her. However, Mary quickly demonstrates that she is a mother figure for the boys aboard the lifeboat; she is as strong, capable, and comforting as any mother could be. She is kind, giving comfort to the boys by rubbing their arms and legs and attempting to distract them from their thirst and boredom. She starts telling them an adventure story and stops the story at exciting points to give the boys something to think about other than their misery. Ken later acknowledges that listening to this story saved his life, as it kept him from boredom. Mary also demonstrates grit when she volunteers her pink chemise (a woman’s slip or undergarment) to use as a flag in case they need to signal to a ship or plane. Even though Peard views Mary as weak at first, she soon proves her strength and value to those on the boat. Her character demonstrates that a crisis can bring out the best in people.

Father O’Sullivan is a priest and one of the escorts aboard the City of Benares. He often offers reassurance to the boys at various stages of the trip, and Ken goes to him for help when the young boys in his cabin are experiencing seasickness and homesickness. Father O’Sullivan gets the flu soon after the Benares sets sail, and his sickness lasts for the duration of the survival experience aboard Lifeboat 12. Despite his physical suffering, Father O’Sullivan remains encouraging to others and clings to his faith in God. He prays often, such as before and after meals, when the merchant ship draws near, and when it turns around. He encourages the boys to pray as well, wanting them to find comfort in crying out to God. He also talks to Ramjam Buxoo about God, even though the two men have different religions. Overall, Father O’Sullivan is kind, unshakable in his faith, and strong.

Paul is a skinny boy with light, curly hair. Ken immediately notices that Paul is shy, and despite the kindness Ken and his friends show, Paul does not really fit in with them. On Lifeboat 12, Paul is perhaps the most miserable of the boys. He has a cut on his foot, and this wound festers in the saltwater that pools in the boat’s bottom. His feet worsen, and he develops trench foot, a disease in which skin tissue starts to die because of prolonged immersion in water. Paul suffers silently for the most part, until a moment comes when he cannot take the suffering of his feet or his thirst any longer. He has an outburst in which he stands and yells for water, and he can only be calmed by Peard, who brushes off his request for water and helps warm Paul’s feet with the simple solution of wrapping them in a coat. When Lifeboat 12 is rescued, Paul does not recover quickly like the other boys, and he is carried to a waiting ambulance from the HMS Anthony.

Terrence, or Terry, is 10 years old and Ken’s friend from his neighborhood in Wembley. He is an artist and loves to draw ships, a talent that Ken envies. Terry’s presence on the City of Benares is a welcome sight for Ken, who doesn’t know any of the other children. Furthermore, Terry’s excitement for the voyage is contagious, and soon Ken is feeling eager at the prospect of leaving for Canada because of Terry’s influence. Even though Terry is younger than Ken, the boys get along well and easily befriend other children on the ship. Ken doesn’t see Terry after the ship is torpedoed, and after being rescued, he learns that Terry did not survive. Terry’s character is a reminder that the majority of children aboard the Benares died, and that Ken’s survival is particularly miraculous.