Summary and Analysis
Chapter 32
The final chapter, the resolution, completes the narrative. As Ishmael leaves Hatsue, she gives him the same advice that his mother gave him — to get married and to have children. Hatsue even tells him to live. The next morning, when Hatsue visits Ishmael at his mother's house, he refers to her for the first time as "Mrs. Miyamoto," signifying Ishmael's growth and a change in their relationship.
Using the notes, the sheriff's report, and bits of testimony, Ishmael, joined by Sheriff Moran and Deputy Martinson, investigates the Susan Marie, which has been docked at Sommensen's warehouse for the past two and a half months, and pieces together the events of the night. Later that morning, the jury is dismissed, and Kabuo is set free. And Ishmael Chambers ponders the events as he prepares his newspaper article, coming to an understanding "that accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart." It is no accident that Ishmael turns in the notes he found, for it is the one way that he can provide some semblance of justice in his war-torn world while simultaneously proving his love for Hatsue.
Glossary
creosoted timbers wood that has been treated with a brownish oily liquid in order to preserve the wood.
navigator a person who steers a course.
hard-waked the track left by a ship as it moves through the water; as the freighter passed, the water formed waves that struck Carl's boat.
dogwatch the last night shift.