Zia

O’Dell uses the interconnected symbols of the boat and the Island of the Blue Dolphins to make Zia’s quest representative of the broader Struggle for Cultural Preservation and Survival. Zia and Mando discover the stranded boat on the shore and learn it belongs to a whaler, the Boston Boy. For Zia, the boat symbolizes independence and freedom, serving as a means to help her achieve her goal: to reach her mother’s homeland, the Island of the Blue Dolphins, and locate her aunt Karana. Mando renames the boat Island Girl for Zia, telling her, “For you, my sister. Because all you talk of is going to the island” (10). Later, the name serves as a symbolic reference to Karana, emphasizing the spiritual connection between her and Zia. The act of changing the boat’s name signifies Zia’s quest as an attempt to reclaim her cultural identity. 

The Island of the Blue Dolphins is Karana’s home and a symbol of Indigenous ancestral land. More than a place, it signifies Zia’s lost connection to her Indigenous past, emphasizing her people’s history of displacement. As her mother’s homeland, Zia considers the island part of her cultural history and identity. Despite her determination to travel to the island, she never accomplishes her goal.