Stowaway by Nancy Rue Rue,

Stowaway by Nancy Rue

Rue, Nancy. The Stowaway. Focus on the Family Publishing, 1995.

The Stowaway by Nancy Rue is a young adult novel that skillfully blends Christian teaching with American history. It is set during the colonial period but the struggles of the main protagonist are common to adolescents of every era. Ten-year-old Josiah must learn how to obey his internal moral compass, even when the rest of the world is telling him otherwise. The Stowaway begins when Josiah is sent to a place called Salem Town to receive schooling so he can assume his place in society as an educated young man. However, Josiah is dissatisfied and wants a life of more adventure and excitement.

The town of Salem is of course is famous for the witch hunts of the Puritan era, when innocent people were condemned by the lies of overly zealous and troubled young children. Perhaps this is why Rue chooses it as the setting of her tale of a coming-of-age of a young man of the period. Josiah must grapple with his conscience, with what is right, and with what his society tells him is right as well as take a stand when someone is unjustly accused. The fact that it is his beloved sister, Hope, makes the story especially poignant. Josiah must find a way to clear her name of stealing a valuable gold necklace. This is his truest and deepest experience of education in Salem Town.

From the beginning of the book, Josiah faces a series of moral dilemmas. These dilemmas enable Rule to teach the reader about Christian teachings, Christian ways of coping with conflict, as well as tell an exciting story about the high seas. Josiah's first dilemma is that he wants to be a sailor, instead of a scholar, despite the wishes of his guardians. Josiah is convinced that he, rather than the adults in the world, knows what he should do with his life. So, true to the title of the book, he is determined to 'stowaway' upon a ship to realize his dreams of becoming a sailor, even though he knows that this is probably morally wrong. But Josiah soon discovers that it is not so easy to be clever and devious -- when he sneaks onto a ship in Salem he is almost immediately found, and teased and tormented by the hardened, professional sailors. They dangle a rat in front of his face and laugh at him.

Rue's tale shows the importance of seafaring and its dangers during early American history. But Josiah's real test of character comes not in his ability to flout the law on board, but to do what is right in the face of bullying. He learns that this is the true way to show manly strength, rather than to swagger on a ship. When Josiah realizes he must clear Hope's name, it is then he becomes a hero, not when he tries to show he is brave. Rule's protagonist, because he is not morally 'perfect' from the beginning, but must learn morality, is thus relatable and compelling in a way that transcends her historical setting. Josiah is also very easy to identify with as a character because he has both good and bad moral impulses within him -- he is attracted to the idea of being a rough sailor, even though he is fundamentally a good Christian boy at heart. He likes the thrilling idea of transgressing the law at first, but ultimately wants to be a good brother to his sister more than anything in the world.