Casabianca

In Casabianca the image of the flames was the most prominent. I noticed that the setting was a lot more subtle. As the poem goes on the author gives vivid images of the flames engulfing the ship and the boy’s unwavering intent to stay until his job is completed. I found that the setting of the story was a lot more subtle. We can assume that it night because the of the line “… And stream’d above the gallant child, like banners in the sky,” but the author never directly addresses it. He also never mentions the sea and barely mentions any noise besides the boy’s shouts and the flames. The flames seem to grow more substantial as the poem goes on while the image of the boy’s bravery stays the same.
I think the author uses the flames to represent evil and the boy is a representation of innocence, loyalty and faith. The poem brings us right into the middle of a battle between the burning ship and the boys. The author describes him as being “bright and beautiful” which is interesting because that’s how some maybe describe the fire. The author then describes the boy as a “creature of heroic blood” which suggests that he had super human bravery. The repetition of the fire rolling on creates tension and suspense and gives it a sinister characteristic when juxtaposed again the boy’s innocence.
Even as the flames or evil are almost face to face with the boy he isn’t tempted to abandon his position without his father’s orders. This can be looked at from a religious perspective, the boy is like a Jesus figure and the flames can be Satan or sin. Like Jesus the boy doesn’t abandon his role even when faced with adversity. Although the boy is destroyed his loyalty and faithfulness is still remembered.