8. The Dolt and the Orphan. Cody then writes about how he, Brian, and Sophie were walking along the island they visited with the dinghy, and how Brian mocked Sophie about her foster mother not being her original mom. He says he couldn’t tell whether Sophie just ignored Brian or didn’t hear him at all; Sophie didn’t miss a beat after Brian’s comment, and quickly picked up a rock, challenging Brian to see if he could throw as far as she. After Cody and Sophie took the trip with Brian, they decided to take another one—but this time without Brian.
Cody also says that Sophie went up high in the bosun’s chair (a sling which lifts up to the mast) after Brian refused, as he got nausea just from the sight of the tall spire of the mast. Sophie excitedly and adeptly ascended the mast, and changed a burnt-out bulb, totally unafraid of the height, unlike Brian and Cody.
Sophie’s reaction to Brian’s comment about her mother is strange. It seems like she must have heard it, since she reacted by distracting from it, but by not acknowledging the comment at all, it seems like Sophie doesn’t really register it at some level. It’s like her mind prevents her from really hearing it, and instinctively urges her to do something that will distract her.
Sophie’s lack of fear when climbing the mast challenges the male crewmembers’ perception of her as a girl prone to being easily scared. Here, she demonstrates that she actually has more bravery than her two male peers.