Shipwreck

The power of teamwork and friendship, or lack thereof, is a prominent theme within the book. When the group first meets, there is no immediate connection between anyone: They do not want to be there. Besides Lyssa, who is sociable by nature, none of the others are interested in forming friendships. Each kid has judged—and been judged—based upon their first impressions. Charla thinks the others are “spoiled rich kids,” J.J. feels superior to everyone on board, Luke is resentful that the others have lawyers and seemingly trivial problems, and Will is so focused on hating Lyssa that he doesn’t give the others much thought (30). Ian’s heartfelt sobbing and disclosure of why he is there momentarily sparks sympathy and connection, but their judgmental competitiveness quickly returns, with Luke commenting, “Poor kid. He forgot to download his personality before they made him ship his computer home” (27). Luke is usually thoughtful and kind, so his cruel comment about Ian is particularly significant, demonstrating how wary the kids are of forming bonds at the beginning of the program.

Captain Cascadden stresses the importance of teamwork; being a crew has nothing to do with an individual’s background or lifestyle. However, for the first few days, each crew member is focused on stewing in their differences rather than looking for common ground.