The chapter in which Timothy dies in this novel is Chapter
Fifteen, which is when the storm hits the island, and Timothy ties himself and Phillip
to a strong palm tree, with Phillip between Timothy and the palm tree so that Timothy is
left to face the brunt of the storm, protecting Phillip. Although Phillip is blind, it
is clear that after the storm he becomes aware of how Timothy has sacrificed himself for
him. As he feels Timothy's back, he makes a startling
discovery:
Timothy had been cut to ribbons by the wind,
which drove the rain and tiny grains of sand before it. It had flayed his back and his
legs until there were very few places that weren't cut. He was bleeding, but there was
nothing I could do to stop it. I found his hard, horny hand again, wrapped mine around
it, and lay down beside
him.
When Phillip wakes up,
he finds that Timothy is dead. Timothy thus clearly gave his life to save Phillip, in
spite of the difficulties that Phillip has given him and the kind of racist attitude he
has displayed towards Timothy. His death is thus a powerful symbol of self-sacrifice on
behalf of someone else who is, at least towards the beginning of the narrative, so
unworthy of it.
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