FREE ESSAY ON LETTERS FROM THE SAMANTHA

LETTERS FROM THE SAMANTHA

An interesting short story is "Letters from The Samantha" by Mark Helpin. This story tells
the fascinating tale, in the form of never sent letters, of an ape brought aboard an
iron-hulled sailing ship in 1909 by Samson Low, the ship's captain. Although the author
makes a point to tell the reader, through Samson Low, that the animal does not symbolize
anything or mean anything, in fact, "He stands for nothing" (280), several arguments can
be made to contradict this. One could argue that the ape symbolized the untamed and
rarely used wild side of Samson Low through a comparison of their personalities,
appearances, and the way they are treated by others.
Samson Low was a captain of a ship owned by the Green Star Line. He is a stickler for
rules and the proper code of conduct. When writing to his company, he reminds them of
"the complete absence of disciplinary action against me" (271). This serves to highlight
that he has never been in trouble or broken the rules. He is comfortable and comforted by
his pattern of obedience and thinks others must be as well: "Though my subordinates
sometimes complain, they are grateful no doubt, for my firm rule and tidiness" (271). His
ship is always on time or even ahead of schedule. The picture painted is of a steady,
reliable, conservative man who always does the appropriate thing in a situation. However,
a typhoon the ship sails through reveals a different, less predictable side. When
describing the typhoon, Samson thinks, "I confess that I have wished to be completely
taken up by such a thing, to be lifted into the clouds..." (272). This is hardly the
thought of a truly buttoned-down man. He also imagines surrendering to the seas, "But I
have not, and will not." (272). While he seems content with his life, Samson Low's secret
yearnings sometimes show through. It is because of this Samson seems jealous of the ape
and the things it has experienced. Samson has only dreamed while the ape has actually
lived.
The ape, when first aboard, climbs the rigging to the highest point from there he has a
total view of the ship below and all that goes on much like a "pharaonic" captain would
do. While in the rigging the ape shrieks and hollers frightening the crew until the
captain climbs up to it. Although the captain maintains that he climbs merely to check
the validity of his men's arguments concerning the ferociousness of the creature, he
seems to really enjoy a climb that he has not done in years. When they are face to face
the ape, "... stopped his pantomime and, with a gentle and quizzical tilt of the head,
looked me straight in the eyes." (275). After this moment the ape calms down. It would
seem that the ape and captain's reaction to one another is significant in that Samson
sees something he recognizes and is unsettled by, while the ape see one who is like him
and therefore relaxes. 
The ape and Samson seem to mirror each other in other areas as well. The ape is
definitely not a human, he is covered with long orange hair, has sharp, pointed teeth,
his "feet and hands are human in appearance except that they have a bulbous...look common
to monkeys." (275). It is interesting to note that both beings are approximately 5' 10"
tall. Perhaps the oddest fact concerning the ape is the fact that his eyes "are a bright,
penetrating blue." (275). Theses blue eyes would seem like those of a human and give the
creature a less animalistic quality. This could be why the captain has such an odd
response when face to face with the ape. Although hungry, the ape, a vegetarian, won't
come down until the captain has ordered a special meal prepared. Surprisingly it is the
captain's favorite meal, enjoyed at a point in his life when he was less conservative.
The ape devours the meal. The captain has this dish prepared, perhaps, because the ape
reminds him of what he was and of the little recklessness he had as a young man. They are
affected by their surroundings the same way. The heat also affects them similarly. Heat
prostration has hit the captain and he suffers from very severe headaches for the first
time in his life and "The ape has begun to suffer from the heat. He is listless..."
(280). For the first time the captain has headaches' on the same journey he has taken
aboard an ape. The heat my be partially to blame but the guilt he feels of not living his
life as he secretly wants to could also be a factor. The ape also imitates what Samson
Low does. When Samson offers his hand to the creature, "In imitation, he put out his arm,
looking much less fearsome." (277). The captain and the ape act as if they are
communicating on a different, more primitive level.
At times, the crew's behavior is primitive as well. Their reactions change throughout the
story. At first they fear the ape as a wild creature until the captain "tames' him. "The
crew has divide into two factions-those who wish to have the monkey shot, and those who
would ... put him in his boat". (274). Because they do not understand him they wish to be
rid of him. The next stage is acceptance and approval. After the creature comes down from
the rigging and takes the captain's hand, "the crew cheered and laughed" (277). Now that
they no longer fear him, they enjoy his novelty as a kind of pet. They write home and
describe the ape with some pride; they are the ones who have this animal and have
conquered him. The next step is indifference. The crew ignored the ape where they had had
such strong reactions before. Cruelty from the crew came next. The ape had become "the
target of provocation and physical blows" (280). After this treatment the ape reverts
back to his initial behavior and attacks the captain. The crew does not help and lets
Samson fight the creature on his own. Their reaction is similar to what society's
reaction would be to Samson if he did not do everything the right way. If in fact he
choose to follow what was deep inside him, he would be feared at first for being
different to the norm. People would gradually appreciate that difference once they come
close to understanding it. They would become bored after a while because he is not doing
anything new and then begin to hate him for that.
Samson's fight with the creature is like two sides of the same man fighting for control.
Samson tries to extend his hand to hold on to the ape so he can throw him overboard. The
ape, at first, doesn't fight back. Instead, "He did not bare his teeth. He screamed."
(281). The ape only begins to fight after Samson starts dragging him toward the side of
the ship. Throughout, the ape shrieks and moans and fights back, choking Samson in the
same manner that Samson is choking him. On this ship with dozens of men, no one makes an
effort to help throw the ape overboard. They seem to realize that this battle is
personal. It is what someone wants to be, yet fears, against what that person has become.
Eventually Samson wins and the ape is thrown overboard. However, the way Samson wins is
by becoming like the ape, "I gripped so hard that my own teeth were bared and I made
sounds similar to his"(281).
There is a bit of a wild animal in most people. It seems to be balanced by the appearance
we maintain for society's standards. The ape seems to symbolize Samson's "wild" side and
how Samson dealt with it. He only broke the rules when the ape was on board. This let him
live, as he had not in a long time, from climbing the rigging, to socializing more freely
with his men, to being lenient where he had never been before. Their similarities and
differences support the two sides of this creature. It would not be farfetched to say
that after the ape had gone, he stayed with Samson for a long time if not always.