A lifetime of lifetimes. On the continent of the sea.
-- Narrator (Chapter I paragraph 1)

Importance: As Declan sails out into the Pacific Ocean from Oregon, he considers just how vast the ocean is, and just how small a human life is. He considers that countless lifetimes could be lived on the vast ocean, which is like a continent itself. What he does not realize, however, is that his idea of a lifetime of lifetimes will actually include other human life, by the way of the people who come to inhabit his boat alongside him.

The golden plover of the Pacific, the Pacific Golden Plover, is a serious traveler. It waders, it wends where it will.
-- Declan (Chapter I paragraph 12)

Importance: Declan explains to the herring gull why he named his ship “The Plover.” The plover, a small, slight, and easily overlooked bird, is very strong and capable of traveling great distances. The name “Plover” thus has great symbolic meaning for...