Rontu gets attacked by the devilfish. Rontu walks the cliffs with Karana. When the Aleuts return to town, Rontu meets up with his former owner, Tutok. Rontu dies.

With her real name lost, O’Dell opted to call her fictional doppelgänger Karana.

Historical elements Zia’s aunt Karana, who was the main character of Island of the Blue Dolphins, is based on Juana Maria, a Nicoleño woman who lived alone on an island for 18 years. Captain George Nidever was the name of the real person who brought Juana Maria from her island to a mission.

She died of dysentery within seven weeks of her arrival, and was conditionally baptized Juana Maria at her death.

KaranaTutokChief ChowigCaptain OrlovRamo

The protagonist and narrator of the book, Karana spends eighteen years as the only living person on the island of the blue dolphins. When the book opens, she is twelve years old, the daughter of the chief of Ghalas-at.

When he comes, Karana hits him in the chest with an arrow. She turns and kills two other dogs with her remaining arrows. When she turns back, the gray dog is gone.

She stayed behind, legend maintained, because she had jumped overboard to go back for her infant child — untrue. Grimmer lore insisted that on returning, she’d found that wild dogs (which she befriends in the sanitized 1964 film version of the book) had devoured the child — also untrue.

Karana is smart because she made sure that she had a canoe ready in case the Aleuts came back and she had another home if she needed to go there in the event of an emergency. Last, but not least, Karana stored lots of food for the winter so it would be easier on her.

By the end of chapter eight, Karana has two sworn enemies: the Aleutsand the wild dogs. When the wild dogs kill Ramo, Karana swears to herself that one day she will kill them all. Although she is motivated partially by a desire protect her own safety, there is a vindictive air to her vow.

Why didn’t Karana kill the leader of the wild dogs when she had a chance? The dog stayed on the ground; if he got up she may have shot him. She wanted a friend.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is a 1960 children’s novel by American writer Scott O’Dell, which tells the story of a 12-year-old girl named Karana, who is stranded alone for years on an island off the California coast….Island of the Blue Dolphins.

How did Karana feel when she finally reached the island? She felt tired, relieved, happy and mad. Karana left the island because she could not bear to live there alone another day; yet when she returned she felt happy.

In chapter 13, Karana has gone to the cliffs to kill a bull sea elephant to make arrows from their teeth.

She needed weapons to protect herself from the dogs and kill them one by one. Why does she hesitate before she makes the weapons? It is against the law of her people to make weapons and for a woman to make a weapon will bring bad luck for them.

What is Karana’s problem at the end of chapter 12? The island has very strong wind; therefore, there are not many large trees. She needs wood to build her shelter.

Tutok is the young Aleutian girl who becomes friends with Karana when the Russian hunters return to the island a second time. Tutok becomes friends with Karana when they exchange names and play games together during Tutok’s short stay on the island. …

How did Karana get a new dog after Rontu’s death? She put a mixture into the spring water to make the dogs go to sleep. Their ship had sunk in the storm, then their was no other ship.

Where does Rontu finally die? He dies up on the cliffs where he loves to chase and bark at gulls.

On the way, Karana and Rontu see a flock of gulls. Karana puts Rontu down, but he does not want to chase the birds. Soon afterward, he is dead. Karana buries him on the headland, covering his grave with colored pebbles and a stick he liked to chase.

Karana decides to meet them and she prepares to leave the island. She puts on her otter cape, cormorant skin dress, and black stone necklace. The men spot the smoke from her fire and visit Karana at her home. On the tenth day, the ship leaves the island with Karana, her dog Rontu-aru, and her two birds in their cage.

Little Boy with Large Eyes

She wants to leave because she wants to stay with the people she knows. Unfortunately, Karana’s brother doesn’t make it to the boat on time, so Karana jumps into the water in order to stay on the island with her brother. Her brother then dies shortly after, and she is left on the island alone.

She does not take Rontu with her, because the Aleuts may have brought dogs. Karana is afraid the Aleut girl might happen upon her house while looking for food or water, but decides to stay in the cave in the ravine. She collects some food and water and goes back to her cave.

The reason that Karana killed these ten birds was that she wanted to make a skirt for herself. She was going to use the birds’ skins and feathers to make herself a skirt. Because she wanted this kind of a skirt, she went to Tall Rock and killed the ten cormorants.

The devilfish also, according to Karana, has the tastiest meat of all the undersea creatures.

Karana and Tutok befriend on another because they are both young girls that are happy to keep each other company and be friends even the Aleuts might come after Karana. Later she realizes the sea otter is a girl/mother and name her “Won-a-wee” (Girl with large eyes).

Karana saves an otter from the kelp bed in Chapter 23 after the Aleutian hunters leave. Instead of killing the otter as the Aleuts would have done, she heals him and names him Mon-a-nee. Karana sees the otter again in Chapter 24 and realizes that the otter is female and she has children.

The spear Karana made to catch the devilfish was the only weapon she made without mentioning qualms regarding the laws of her people that forbid women to make weapons.

abalone disk circlet