In "The Vanishing Island" by Barry Wolverton, people are driven to preserve the island's existence by the promise of a fabled treasure, its cultural significance rooted in a Chinese legend, and personal connections like Bren Owen's quest sparked by a dying sailor's message. These themes of adventure and mystery create strong emotional attachments, motivating characters to work tirelessly for the island's survival.
In the book "The Vanishing Island" by Barry Wolverton, people are deeply invested in the island's survival for several reasons:
1. Mystery and Treasure: The island holds a fabled lost treasure that could change the lives of those who find it. This treasure becomes a powerful motivation for people like Bren Owen and his father, who believe it can bring them fame and fortune.
2. Cultural Significance: The island is not just any ordinary place. It is associated with a Chinese legend and has disappeared from maps, making it a subject of fascination and intrigue. Its cultural significance and the allure of its mysterious history drive people to care deeply about its existence.
3. Personal Connections: Bren Owen, the protagonist, encounters a dying sailor who entrusts him with a hidden message. This message leads Bren on a quest to uncover the secrets of the vanishing island. Personal connections like these create a sense of purpose and determination, compelling people to invest their time and effort into preserving the island's existence.
The evidence from the text, including the different media, supports the understanding that people care deeply about the vanishing island due to the allure of treasure, cultural significance, and personal connections. The story explores the themes of adventure, mystery, and the pursuit of fortune, which contribute to the emotional attachment people have to the island and their willingness to work hard for its survival.
Article:
It’s 1599, the Age of Discovery in Europe. But for Bren Owen, growing up in the small town of Map on the coast of Britannia has meant anything but adventure. Enticed by the tales sailors have brought through Map’s port, and inspired by the arcane maps his father creates as a cartographer for the cruel and charismatic map mogul named Rand McNally, Bren is convinced that fame and fortune await him elsewhere. That is, until his repeated attempts to run away land him a punishment worse than death—cleaning up the town vomitorium.
It is there that Bren meets a dying sailor, who gives him a strange gift that hides a hidden message. Cracking the code could lead Bren to a fabled lost treasure that could change his life forever, and that of his widowed father. But to get there he will have to tie his fate to a mysterious Dutch admiral obsessed with a Chinese legend about an island that long ago disappeared from any map.
Before long, Bren is in greater danger than he ever imagined, and will need the help of an unusual friend named Mouse to survive. Barry Wolverton’s thrilling adventure spans oceans and cultures, brings together the folklore of East and West, and proves that fortune is always a double-edged sword.