A Lion to Guard Us

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1981

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Chapters 22-23

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 13-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 13 Summary: “The Devil Doll”

The minister on board, Master Buck, tells the children that Dr. Crider is “in a better world” (65), but Amanda can’t accept that he’s really gone. She realizes that after all the loss they’ve experienced, there’s no guarantee their father will be there waiting for them in the New World. She can’t express herself to her siblings, though, because she has to be the responsible one.

That night, she uses some scraps of cloth to make a doll for Meg and a ball for Jemmy. In the morning, she tries to give them their presents, but Meg will not take the doll because, in the light, it looks very ugly, like a devil doll. The ball isn’t much better. Jemmy asks if he can have the doorknocker instead. Amanda gets it for him, and he takes it up on deck and shows it to Anne and David. They want to play with it, but he won’t let them have it. They playfully chase him around the deck, and he knocks the doorknocker on the wood, saying, “Knock-knock, here comes Jemmy!” (67).

Amanda throws the doll and ball she made into the sea and feels better, as if she’s thrown away some of her fear and sadness.

Chapter 14 Summary: “Brass or Gold?”

Amanda and Meg are sewing, and Jemmy is polishing the door knocker because some of the passengers have gotten fingerprints on it. One of the passengers, John Rolfe, comes to speak with Amanda. He tells her that there is a rumor aboard the ship that the door knocker belonged to Dr. Crider and that it’s brass on the outside but gold on the inside. Amanda explains that it is made of brass and used to be on their home in London. Mr. Rolfe implies that Jemmy started the rumor and tells Amanda that if people think it’s gold, it will cause trouble. Amanda commands Jemmy to put it away. He asks why, but she doesn’t tell him and repeats her command until he complies.

The next morning, Jemmy asks for the door knocker. Amanda tells him that she put it away and asks if he told Anne and David it was gold. He admits he did because they were bragging about their ball. Mr. Waters, one of the passengers, comes over to them and asks to see the door knocker. Amanda tells him she put it away. He offers to keep it safe for them, and she explains that it’s just brass. She isn’t sure he believes her.

Chapter 15 Summary: “The Storm”

The rumors about the lion’s head continue for a few days but are forgotten because a storm is coming. The air becomes heavy and hot, and everyone feels anxious. The children go down into the hold, where it’s dark as night. During the storm, a sailor comes down to check for leaks because the waves have overtaken the deck and the winds are ripping the sails. The ship rolls back and forth, and the hold begins to fill with water. The men rush to pump the water out.

The storm lasts for two days, and the children cling to each other in fear that the ship will sink. Amanda tells them a story of two sisters and a brother who were in a great storm but got off the ship safely on land. Both Meg and Jemmy are quiet after the story.

Eventually, the hold begins to fill with water that cannot be pumped out. The children climb out of the hold and are overtaken by waves. At first, Jemmy and Amanda lose Meg, but they find her near the animal pens. The animals have all washed away, but Meg is hanging on to a wooden bar. The children all hold on and hear the cry of “Land!” as the ship crashes against the rocks.

Chapters 13-15 Analysis

Just like when their mother died, Amanda must take on the role of caregiver when Dr. Crider disappears. Demonstrating the theme of Resilience and Youth, Amanda has deep feelings of sadness and fear yet hides them from her siblings and puts on a brave face. She realizes that there is no guarantee her father is alive, foreshadowing the horrific situation they will find when they do finally reach Jamestown. Still, she is determined to make the situation better with the limited power she has. She attempts to cheer up her siblings, taking on maternal responsibilities like telling them a story, singing them a song, and making them toys. However, for all her good intentions, she reaches her limit; the toys, meant to rival those of the Hopkins children, are not good. Amanda’s Journey From Childhood to Independence is evident in her reaction: rather than obsess over the toys, she throws them into the sea, a cathartic action that symbolizes letting go of her fears and her desire to control their circumstances.

As Amanda is becoming more independent and less childlike, Jemmy, spurred on by jealousy, brags about his most prized possession, the brass door knocker. Unlike Amanda, Jemmy doesn’t realize the consequences of his actions once he begins to spread the rumor that the door knocker is made of gold rather than brass, displaying youthful naivete. Jemmy values the door knocker because of its connection to his family, but others want to take it because they think it has monetary value. Jemmy has grown from the quiet, shy boy he was on the back stairs in Mistress Trippett’s home, but his boldness is not yet tempered with judgment. His coming-of-age journey is still in its early stages and will be resolved in later chapters.

Occurring about halfway through the book, the storm is a tense, climactic moment that raises the stakes for the children. The children’s survival is foreshadowed by Amanda’s story about three siblings who survive a shipwreck, but the stakes are illustrated through vivid imagery and details like the missing livestock. The children show their resilience during the storm, helping each other survive during the crisis.