Chapter 23, Peasants At Sea Summary

In Chapter 23, peasants use Almanac for the Year after the Saviour Christ's Birth the 1850th, where they read weather predictions, crossing the days that pass to assure that their lives have consistency and meaning. They don't know how to interpret the westerly wind that blows against their direction of travel. They miss various signs of seasons, weather patterns, but mostly they are uneasy about not knowing how far they traveled. The sea is the same for them. Their world consists of the ship deck. They quarrel now more as if all their friendly gestures have been used. Women fight in the kitchen with pots and pants, while the ship does not seem to move. They are only told that they are some halfway through their journey. Their captain tells them that he can only tell them when...