# How does A High Wind in Jamaica develop the theme of Childhood Innocence and Morality?

> A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes

## Answer

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes develops Childhood Innocence and Morality across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The book explores the ambiguous nature of childhood innocence, showing children like Emily as amoral, detached, and capable of violence without guilt, challenging the Victorian ideal of the pure child.

The children's games, from catching birds to lassoing lizards, and their imaginative rules (the White Mouse oracle) highlight a morally ambiguous, unsupervised childhood.

Emily's birthday exploration and her innocent delight in discovering the village highlight the theme of childhood wonder and moral development.

The children's reaction to the earthquake—dancing, riding into the sea, barking like a dog—shows their innocent, unselfconscious joy. Emily's shock at the Fernandez children's barefoot state highlights her internalized moral codes.

## Evidence

- [i](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/i.md): The children's games, from catching birds to lassoing lizards, and their imaginative rules (the White Mouse oracle) highlight a morally ambiguous, unsupervised childhood.
- [ii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/ii.md): Emily's birthday exploration and her innocent delight in discovering the village highlight the theme of childhood wonder and moral development.
- [iii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/iii.md): The children's reaction to the earthquake—dancing, riding into the sea, barking like a dog—shows their innocent, unselfconscious joy. Emily's shock at the Fernandez children's barefoot state highlights her internalized moral codes.
- [iv](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/iv.md): Emily's internal processing of the earthquake and storm, her attempt to escape into imagination, and the children's drunken sleep highlight the clash between childish perception and harsh reality.
- [i](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/i.md): The children's innocence is highlighted in their lack of understanding of the gravity of the separation; they view the journey as an adventure, contrasting with the parents' anxieties.
- [ii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/ii.md): Emily's childish confusion of 'earthquake' with 'earache' highlights her innocent misunderstanding of the world.
- [i](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/i.md): The children's perspective contrasts with the sailors' cruelty: John feels 'vague horror' at the monkey's torture, yet is transfixed, showing a moral awakening amid the chaos.
- [ii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_high_wind_in_jamaica_se/chapters/ii.md): The children's reactions—boredom, curiosity, and lack of real fear—highlight their innocence and inability to grasp the danger they are in.

## Links

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