The Offshore Pirate

The Offshore Pirate http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/pirate/pirate.html

The other short story I chose to read on my own is called The Offshore Pirate. It was also written by Scott Fitzgerald, who is one of my favorite writers. Ardita is the name of the main character and she is an intriguing person. She gives sass to her uncle, which was a rare trait in a female living in the early 1900-1920. The boat is seized by pirates and Ardita happens to be the only passenger on it. Instead of being afraid, she is intrigued by them. Ardita learns about Curtis(the leader of the pirates) childhood and how he became a singer, how he met his crew, and learns all about him. Soon they reach an island where they go swimming and realize they have feelings for eachother. After they profess their love for eachother, they see a ship approaching. I won’t say what happens next, because it is my favorite part of the story and I don’t want to ruin it for you.

The first sentence really drew me ino the story, “This unlikely story begins on a sea that was a blue dream, as colorful as blue-silk stockings, and beneath a sky as blue as the irises of children's eyes. From the western half of the sky the sun was shying little golden disks at the sea--if you gazed intently enough you could see them skip from wave tip to wave tip until they joined a broad collar of golden coin that was collecting half a mile out and would eventually be a dazzling sunset….” I love the detailed setting description and think its a great way to hook the reader. I love the way Fitzgerald describes the setting because I feel as if I were there right now.  

Another reason why I recommend this story is because the two main characters are fascinating. Curtis, "He was a young man with a scornful mouth and the bright blue eyes of a healthy baby set in a dark sensitive face. His hair was pitch black, damp and curly--the hair of a Grecian statue gone brunette. He was trimly built, trimly dressed, and graceful as an agile quarter-back." Immediately, the reader can tell that Ardita finds him attractive even though he is a fugitive of justice. Fitzgerald has a way of writing that makes the characters seem so real. It’s like Ardita is a close friend of mine and I know all about her. “She was about nineteen, slender and supple, with a spoiled alluring mouth and quick gray eyes full of a radiant curiosity…”  Ardita is such a fascinating character because she is bold with her words and she says what is on her mind all the time.

I stopped describing the story at the most exciting part because I didn’t want to spoil it. I really like this story because it has a happy yet surprising ending. I was shocked when I finished the story, but that is part of the reason why I like it so much. I strongly recommend you read this story so you can discover the surprising ending for yourself.