The Whistling Boy by Ruth M. Arthur

First published: 1969; illustrated

Type of work: Domestic realism

Themes: Coming-of-age, emotions, family, friendship, and the supernatural

Time of work: The late 1950’s to early 1960’s

Recommended Ages: 10-13

Locale: Sussex and Norfolk, England

Principal Characters:

• Christina “Kirsty” Newton, the narrator, who cannot adjust to the sudden death of her mother and the marriage of her father to a woman twenty years his junior
• Jake Meryon, Kirsty’s friend at Norfolk, who provides the mystery and love interest in the story
• Lois Newton, the young stepmother, who has insecurities that will eventually allow Kirsty to accept her
• Gerry Newton, Kirsty’s father, a reserved man who is so caught up in the love of his new wife that he is blinded to the needs of his young daughter
• Dinah Purdy, the new girl in Kirsty’s form at school, who has problems at home with which she is unable to cope
• Janet Woodward, the “daily” in the Newton household, who helps Kirsty find the distance the teenager needs to cope with her changing home and life situations
• Joel Corpusty (Old Corpusty), who resisted the call of the whistling ghost years before and helps to unlock the mystery that haunts Jake

The Story

The Whistling Boy has two main conflicts that are woven together in this first-person narrative: Kirsty must adjust to a new home situation and wishes to solve the problems of both Dinah and Jake.

At a school concert, Lois is taken for Kirsty’s sister rather than the father’s new wife; this realization comes as a shock to the young girl. As Kirsty begins to experience panic attacks over her feelings about Lois, her home situation deteriorates and she feels more and more alienated. Kirsty’s emotional self-indulgence prevents her from trying to get Dinah, her friend, to seek the help she needs in her debilitating home situation.

Finally, Kirsty turns to Janet, the “daily,” who helps her obtain a summer fruit-picking job in Norfolk. During her first night at the Dillions’, Janet’s relatives, Kirsty hears a hauntingly familiar tune coming from a vacant room next to her bedroom. As Kirsty explores the old village, she discovers that the sea is encroaching on the land and that it is only a matter of time before the Dillions’ farmhouse will be reclaimed by the sea.

On the way to the Dillions’ home after her first day at work, Kirsty sees Old Corpusty. Jake Meryon, whom Kirsty had first seen at the village, warns her to stay away from Old Corpusty, who is a hermit and keeps rats for company. As the two teenagers become friends, Kirsty discovers that Jake suffers from a memory loss, which he sustained while staying at the Dillions’, and appears to go into a “different world” on occasion. He also whistles the same haunting tune that she hears at night. As the stresses of her home situation begin to recede, Kirsty begins to reach out to Jake. She later sees a figure moving toward the sea that could be Jake, were it not for his ragged and old-fashioned clothing. As Kirsty watches, the boy begins to play Jake’s tune on a wooden whistle, and the Whistling Boy dissolves into the sea.

When Janet calls to tell Kirsty that Dinah was caught shoplifting, Kirsty is determined not to fail Jake as she did Dinah. Jake enables her to realize that what Dinah did was a cry for help, and he discovers that he, like Dinah, must confront the “dangerous magic” that would destroy him. In the Dillions’ vacant room, Kirsty finds a slim, wooden whistle with the carved letters “Jacques Merineau 1686.” At last, Kirsty understands the connection between Jake’s memory loss and the legendary Whistling Boy.

Kirsty hears the legend of the Whistling Boy from Old Corpusty. When urged by the apparition to follow him into the sea, Old Corpusty stayed to care for a blind sister, but he never forgave her for his lost chance. She also learns that the Whistling Boy appears only when there is going to be a surge from the sea.

Kirsty again reaches outside herself when Marcus, her favorite brother, is involved in an accident. Reassured by her father that Marcus did not need her or his twin, Kirsty realizes that her father has never been able to understand the emotional needs of his children. A call from Lois helps Kirsty decide that she must return temporarily to help Marcus face his fears.

In Sussex, Kirsty learns that Lois is going to have a baby; instead of being outraged, she has newfound sympathy for her stepmother. A call from Jake’s parents that a flood has come to Norfolk and that Jake is missing sends Kirsty scurrying back to the village. She realizes that Jake must be in Old Corpusty’s cottage and that Jake had sounded the old church bell to warn the people of the impending flood.

Context

The setting of The Whistling Boy is a small town close to the sea, similar to those of the author’s other novels. Ruth M. Arthur’s major characters are often young adolescent girls who face and solve adult problems. For example, the plot of After Candlemas (1974) is similar to that of The Whistling Boy: The major character, Harriet, is also isolated from her family, the story contains elements of the supernatural, and there is a young boy who is rescued by the main character.

In the mid to late 1960’s, juvenile characters became more realistic. They were depicted as rebelling against adult authority and as having a life of their own outside the family. Girls were viewed as more capable of taking charge. Ruth Arthur’s female protagonists solve mysteries and help others. In doing so, they mature emotionally and socially. The Whistling Boy reflects these trends.