Instinct and Faith

This is one of the narrative's primary themes, defining the essential intentions and experiences of the central character (Primrose) who, in spite of all evidence to the contrary and the often negative opinions of those around her, continues to have faith that her parents are alive. This thematic also defines her journey of transformation, in that she begins the narrative in a place of desperately clinging to her instinctive faith (as, perhaps, her parents desperately clung to the dinghy that saved their lives) and ends in a place of having that faith rewarded (as her parents' faith is rewarded by being rescued and eventually returned home). The question of how people experience instinct and faith also manifests in Primrose's experience with the other characters, most of whom are asked about whether they've ever (to paraphrase Primrose) trusted their instincts and who, for the most part, respond...