The sea giveth and the sea taketh away. It is both the traditional lover and the destroyer of the Newfoundland people.
 
 

Drowning is one of the negative aspects to the nature of the sea. The book brought forth many images of drowning. It is a major fear for many and always creeps along the borders of the mind of the best swimmers and boatsmen. Newfoundland is filled with people who have great skill in and on the water. But even here, when people get careless or the ocean becomes violent, people drown. The book makes this point several times in a matter-of-fact-way.

"...and after young Sian drowned, she took up with turvey, the other brother, then when he drowned..." (p. 25)
 
 

" the heavy seas and the tons of water pouring in knocked the ship down. She seemed she was about to go when the captain gave the 'abandon ship'. If you can imagine those small lifeboats in those seas! They lost seventy men!"