Famous Artwork that Relates to the Character

"The Slave Ship"

J. M. W. Turner

This famous piece by British painter J. M. W. Turner was first exhibitted in 1840 and is a classic example of a romantic landscape painting. Turner's painting depicts a slave ship sailing in the background against a tumultous sea of waves that sweep and scatter human forms into the water. The painting is supposed to depict an oncoming typhoon consuming the slaves and the crew against a deep-red sunset. This painting emits an intensity of blending colors.

This art relates to Jesse Bollier because it shows an illustration of what he has to go through toward the end of the book, when he finally escapes to freedom during a violent storm which destroys the ship and moons the crew and slaves. The storm or typhoon can also represent Jesse's storm of internal conflicts that he has to battle through and his constant struggle to find himself amidst the different obstacles. This can be represented by the painting through the intense explosion of colors. Also, the body forms in the water represent all the death and cruelty Jesse witnesses and experiences aboard The Moonlight, and the fact that he is one of only two survivors of the violent storm that sunk the ship.