Chapter 10: The Dreams of the Dead - Part 2

     The "perfect storm" is now over, but the effects of it are still being felt all over Gloucester. The crew of the Andrea Gail is never found and soon they are presumed to be dead. Reverend Casey holds a service for the men lost at sea in St. Ann's Church. People from all over Gloucester, related to the men lost at sea or not, come to pay their respects. Bobby Shatford's girlfriend, Christina Cotter, is feeling the grief of losing Bobby and even has dreams about him. This is not uncommon and many family members of the others that were aboard the Andrea Gail also have dreams and visions of their loved ones. What makes losing these loved ones even worse is the uncertainty that the families of the crew members have about whether or not their loved one has actually died or not. Two years later, another storm named the "Halloween Gale" developed. This storm was earned the title of the "Mother of All Storms" and destroyed a boat called the Gold Bond Conveyor and a boat called the Terri Lei. All of the crew members aboard these boats were killed and the remains of the boats were never found.

     The second half of this last chapter concludes the whole story in a very intriguing way. Although the members of the Andrea Gail are thought to be dead, they still live in the hearts of their loved ones and are even seen in their dreams. Also, the people of Gloucester showing up at the service, even if they did not know the "deceased" men personally, show how tight-knit the community is. Since they are living in a fishing community, people all over Gloucester know the dangers of the sea and can be sympathetic towards the families of those who have died at sea. Furthermore, not knowing whether or not your loved one is actually dead or not is the worst kind of grief a person can experience. This is an emotional roller coaster filled with disappointment, despair, and only a glimmer of hope. Lastly, the new storm that developed shows that there are always dangers when out on the sea and the destruction of the ships shows that nature is stronger than human creations. This concept of nature being better than human creations is also seen in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein tries his best to create life from death, but his creation does not please him and is not a duplication of life that is created through nature. This shows that there are some natural processes that cannot be identically copied through the efforts of man, no matter how much work is put into copying them.