How does Walcott depict the tension between Shabine’s love of home and his wife and other pursuits, e.g. sailing, diving, writing poetry?
In the poem “The Schooner Flight“ by Derek Walcott, the author uses the main character Shabine, who was one of mixed racial ancestry, to express his own life experiences. Shabine is torn between remaining on the island and not exploring the ocean or leaving the people he loves such as his wife and family because of his love for the sea. However, he is unable to love his family because it reminds him of how unaccepted he is in the world. Due to his disappointment with post-colonialism on the island and his inability to love his home without disgust, Shabine journeys to the Carribean in search of his identity. Walcott uses metaphors and imagery to add depth to his work and convey how the speaker feels when he leaves the island and his lover behind. For example, when he is on sailing, he realizes that the sea contains a human past. While he is diving, he has a vision of God and hears a voice telling him to abandon his wife. As the water moves up and down, so does Shabine’s emotions when nostalgia and memories are recollected which causes him to struggle throughout his whole journey.
I’ve also noticed this back and forth between what he sees as he leaves and his thoughts of his wife. He may be adamant about leaving but no matter how far he goes “there’d be no forgetting”. He is reminded of home and the woman he loves over and over as if everything he sees, the sunset, the starry sky, it all brings forth as you said, emotions of memories and nostalgia. It’s actually quite sad because as one part of him is pulled away the other keeps tugging back. It’s a tug of war inside his heart and because of such his whole journey is indeed a tense struggle.