Act 1, Scenes 5 and 6 Summary

Scene 5--In the bunkroom below decks, the sailors make preparations for their liberty: shining shoes, shaving, combing their hair, etc. Dowdy, who sits in a corner reading a magazine, is the only one who appears calm. As the sailors look out at the island, talking about how beautiful it looks and about their plans, their conversations reveal that the men have been ready for a long time and are waiting for the order to go ashore. Dolan enters with news that the Captain is still asleep and hasn't yet issued the order for the men to leave. One of the sailors angrily says he's going to go wake him up, but Dowdy tells him to be patient, saying that if the Captain wakes up in a bad mood, the liberty isn't going to happen. Dolan is called back to...