In the novel The Cay written by Theodore Taylor, the main character Phillip Enright comes of age. During WWII Phillip gets shipwrecked and stuck on a cay with a black man named Timothy. When his head injury causes him to go blind he must rely on Timothy. Phillip portrays evolution when he learns to respect Timothy, treats every race the same, and shows compassion for Timothy.

The first example of Phillip’s character changing is when he learns to respect Timothy. Phillip was being unkind and disrespectful toward Timothy when Timothy was trying to help him weave. Timothy gets fed up with his attude and slaps him. Phillip said, “Something happened to me that day on the cay. I'm not quite sure what it was even now, but I had begun to change.” This quote works well with him showing his evolution because he finally respects Timothy. Theodore Taylor might have been representing the phrase “Slapping sense into someone.” This is how Phillip evolves through his respect for Timothy. …show more content…
Before Phillip left Curaçao, his mother’s opinion about black people affected him. Phillip would say racist and hurtful words to Timothy about him being black, old, and stupid. Phillip says, “I moved closer to Timothy's big body before I went to sleep. I remember smiling in the darkness. He felt neither black nor white.” Before Phillip says this, Timothy explains to him why people are different races. “I true don’ know, but I tink beneath d’skin is all the same.” Phillip learns that it does not matter what your skin color is; it just matters if you are a good person. After this he never says anything about Timothy's skin or the way he looked. This is how Phillip evolves through getting over his racist