Two Years Before the Mast · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr..

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Chapter 1
Epigraph
The epigraph, drawn from Coleridge's Wallenstein, sets a tone of isolation and deprivation, contrasting the harsh, confined life at sea with the beauty and comfort of the inland world that remains unseen.
Chapter 2
Two Years Before the Mast
The narrator introduces his personal narrative of life at sea, setting the stage for his experiences as a common sailor aboard a merchant vessel.
Chapter 3
I
The narrator, Richard Henry Dana Jr., boards the brig Pilgrim in Boston on August 14, bound for California via Cape Horn. He describes his transformation from a Cambridge student into a sailor, his first watch, and the vessel's departure from Boston harbor.
Chapter 4
II
The narrator describes his first days at sea aboard the Pilgrim, including the captain's stern speech, the division into watches, the onset of seasickness, the discomforts of the steerage, and the routine of washing down decks. He gains strength from salt beef and begins to learn sea duties. The chapter ends with sightings of other vessels, including the ship La Carolina.
Chapter 5
Ship's Duties—Tropics
The narrator describes the strict hierarchy and daily routines aboard an American merchant ship, detailing the roles of captain, mates, steward, cook, and crew, as well as the endless maintenance tasks that occupy sailors during long voyages.

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Two Years Before the Mast — Chapters Explained