The Cay is a classic story of survival that shares many traits with other stories from the same genre. Compare and contrast The Cay with another famous survival story, like Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960) by Scott O’Dell or Hatchet (1986) by Gary Paulsen. What are the similarities and differences? Do the protagonists learn the same lessons?

Theodore Taylor deliberately set out to write a text that teaches white children that racism is wrong. However, some critics noted that the portrayal of Timothy still relied on racist stereotypes. In your opinion, how successful is The Cay as an anti-racist text? Use evidence from the story and outside sources to support your argument.

Phillip’s coming-of-age journey is initiated by his blindness, which implies that if he had retained his sight, he would not have learned to see beyond race. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? If so, why?