47 pages • 1 hour read
Hugh LoftingThe Story of Doctor Dolittle
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1920A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 11-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 11 Summary: “The Prince”
Doctor Dolittle and his animals bid farewell to the monkeys and start their journey back home. Polynesia warns them to be careful while passing through the land of the Jolliginki, as the king is likely still angry with them. As they make their way through the forest, they become lost. Despite their best efforts, they inadvertently wander into the king’s garden and are captured by the king’s men.
Doctor Dolittle and his animals are taken before the king, who orders them back to prison and assigns Doctor Dolittle to scrub his kitchen floor as punishment. Meanwhile, Polynesia remains hidden in a tree, observing everything. She soon spots Chee-Chee and tells him what happened. As they are discussing their predicament, they see Prince Bumpo, the king’s son, approaching. Polynesia comes up with a plan to hypnotize the prince and convince him to help Doctor Dolittle and his friends escape. Polynesia successfully hypnotizes Prince Bumpo, who smiles entranced.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Medicine and Magic”
Polynesia ensures that no one sees her as she sneaks out of the garden and across to the prison where Doctor Dolittle and his friends are held. She finds Gub-Gub the pig, who is trying to sniff the cooking smells from the palace kitchen. Polynesia tells Gub-Gub to bring Doctor Dolittle to the window so she can speak to him.
Polynesia informs Doctor Dolittle that Prince Bumpo is going to find a ship for them and will unlock the prison doors later that night. She instructs Doctor Dolittle to have everyone ready to leave. As night falls, Prince Bumpo arrives with the key as promised, and unlocks the prison doors, freeing Doctor Dolittle and his animals. The group quickly makes their way to the beach, where they see Polynesia and Chee-Chee waiting with a ship. Everyone boards the ship, and Doctor Dolittle thanks the animals for their help and bids farewell to those staying behind, including Chee-Chee and Polynesia.
As they set sail, Doctor Dolittle looks back at the shore, remembering their journey and the friends they made. The wide sea looks vast and lonely, and Doctor Dolittle starts to wonder if they will lose their way. Suddenly, they hear a strange whispering noise, which grows louder. Jip the dog identifies it as the sound of birds. They see a massive flock of birds flying toward them; the birds settle on the ship, and the doctor realizes they are swallows returning to Puddleby. The swallows offer to guide them on their journey, ensuring they stay on course. Doctor Dolittle thanks the swallows for their help, making the voyage home seem less daunting.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Red Sails and Blue Wings”
Doctor Dolittle’s ship sails homeward along the coast of Barbary, a dangerous region known for its pirates, notorious for waiting to attack passing ships, steal their goods, and ransom the captured crew.
One day, while walking on the ship’s deck, Dab-Dab notices a ship with red sails in the distance, suspecting it is a pirate ship. Jip, the dog, lying nearby, begins to growl and mumble in his sleep, indicating that he smells bad men and confirming Dab-Dab’s fears that trouble is approaching. The pirate ship begins to chase them, and Doctor Dolittle’s crew tries to escape by hoisting more sails to increase their speed. However, the ship they are on is slow and cannot outpace the swift pirate ship. In desperation, Doctor Dolittle asks Dab-Dab to fly up and inform the swallows about the pirates, seeking their help.
The swallows come to the rescue, tying strings to the front of the ship and pulling it along with their combined strength. Despite their small size, the collective effort of thousands of swallows enables the ship to speed up significantly. Doctor Dolittle and his animals are soon traveling so fast that they leave the pirate ship far behind. The animals on the ship rejoice as they escape the danger.
Chapter 14 Summary: “The Rats’ Warning”
The swallows tow Doctor Dolittle and his crew for two or three hours until their energy starts to flag. They send a message to the doctor saying they need to rest and will pull the boat to a nearby island where they can recuperate.
Upon reaching the island, Doctor Dolittle and his animals disembark to search for fresh water. Doctor Dolittle notices many rats leaving the ship and running up the beach. One large black rat approaches Doctor Dolittle and nervously tells him that the ship is in bad condition and will sink before tomorrow night. The rat explains that they can always tell when a ship is going to sink because the tips of their tails tingle.
Doctor Dolittle thanks the rats for the warning and begins to search for water with his animals. A group of canaries leads them to a spring alongside lovely meadows filled with birdseed. The animals enjoy the fresh water and green grass, and Gub-Gub the pig finds a valley full of sugarcane. Suddenly, two swallows return in a panic, warning Doctor Dolittle that the pirates have come into the bay and boarded the doctor’s ship to steal their things. The swallows suggest that Dolittle and his animals can escape by taking the pirates’ faster ship, which they have left unguarded. Doctor Dolittle decides to follow this plan and quickly gathers his animals to board the pirate ship.
Chapter 15 Summary: “The Barbary Dragon”
As Doctor Dolittle and his crew attempt to escape the island using the pirate ship, Gub-Gub the pig sneezes loudly, alerting the pirates to their presence. The pirates see that Doctor Dolittle and the animals attempting to escape. They quickly maneuver to block the entrance to the bay, trapping Doctor Dolittle.
The leader of the pirates, who calls himself Ben Ali the Dragon, mocks Doctor Dolittle and declares that he will capture him and his crew. Ben Ali wants to cook Gub-Gub and demands a ransom from Doctor Dolittle’s friends. As the situation seems dire, Dab-Dab the duck advises Doctor Dolittle to keep Ben Ali talking to delay them, knowing the ship will soon sink as the rats had warned.
Doctor Dolittle attempts to engage Ben Ali in conversation. During their conversation, the pirates start to notice that the ship is sinking and begin to panic. Suddenly, sharks appear in the water, frightening the pirates even more. One shark approaches Doctor Dolittle and offers to eat the pirates to rid him of the trouble. Doctor Dolittle declines the offer, instead asking the shark to prevent the pirates from reaching the shore until he talks to Ben Ali.
Doctor Dolittle tells Ben Ali that he needs to stop being a pirate and live a peaceful life. He suggests that Ben Ali and his men become birdseed farmers on the island, growing food for the canaries. Reluctantly, Ben Ali agrees to Doctor Dolittle’s terms. Doctor Dolittle ensures that the sharks allow the pirates to swim safely to the shore after they promise to change their ways.
Chapters 11-15 Analysis
Doctor Dolittle’s second capture by the King of the Jolliginki in Chapter 11 and his subsequent punishment highlight the risks and consequences of colonial intrusion into Indigenous lands, illustrating the inherent problems of exploration and the potential for conflict. However, in the face of capture, Polynesia’s resourcefulness in hypnotizing Prince Bumpo in Chapter 12 exemplifies the narrative’s central theme of Adventure and Exploration, as Dolittle and his crew face constant setbacks they are forced to overcome. Lofting depicts Dolittle’s entire return journey as fraught with challenges, from navigating through hostile territories to escaping pirates. Lofting frames his narrative with the motif of Dolittle’s travels, a recurring structural element that symbolizes a journey of knowledge and growth, both personally and in Dolittle’s connection with the natural world. His voyage represents a physical and metaphorical journey toward understanding and harmony. Each leg of the trip, from escaping the King of Jolliginki to navigating pirate-infested waters, gives Dolittle layers of experience and wisdom, underscoring the transformative power of travel and exploration.
In a similar way, Doctor Dolittle’s journey serves as a microcosm of human interaction with the environment, showcasing both the positive and negative impacts of human activity on nature. Dolittle’s interventions, such as establishing a makeshift hospital for the sick monkeys, demonstrate the beneficial effects of human innovation combined with empathetic human actions on wildlife and ecosystems. Conversely, the threat posed by the pirates highlights the destructive potential of humanity. As Doctor Dolittle’s ship sails along the dangerous coast of Barbary, the threat of pirates introduces the theme of human conflict and the exploitation of nature. The pirates, who represent human greed and violence, provide a sharp contrast to the doctor’s mission of compassion and healing. This dichotomy illustrates how human activity, both destructive and constructive, impacts the natural world and how intentional, proactive alliances with nature can counteract human threats. Moreover, the resolution of Chapter 15, in which Dolittle convinces the pirates to reform their ways, emphasizes the potential for change and redemption, suggesting that even those who have caused harm can choose a different path. This shift also illustrates how Dolittle’s compassionate leadership and understanding are able to transform adversarial relationships into cooperative ones.
Doctor Dolittle’s ability to talk to animals not only facilitates communication and cooperation between species but also symbolizes the potential for deeper understanding and empathy. Dolittle’s dialogues with animals such as the rats and the sharks lead to mutual aid and problem-solving, highlighting the interconnectedness of all living beings. This gift underscores the importance of the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the importance of seeing them as sentient beings with their own perspectives and needs. For instance, Lofting chooses the rats, typically characterized as pests by humans, to provide crucial information that saves the crew, challenging negative preconceived notions of them. Lofting emphasizes the idea that even creatures often dismissed or vilified contribute significantly to the planet’s ecosystem. Similarly, the sharks, who offer to eat the pirates for Doctor Dolittle, represent another facet of the animal kingdom often feared. Dolittle’s ethical stance, diplomatically refusing to let the sharks eat the pirates, highlights his moral integrity and respect for all forms of life, regardless of their perceived threat. Doctor Dolittle’s interactions with animals demonstrate unexpected alliances between man and nature that challenge traditional human views of dominance over nature and other species, advocating instead for a harmonious coexistence. Through his adventures, Dolittle shows that empathy and communication can bridge the gap between species, fostering a world where all living beings are valued and respected.
