Armstrong Sperry's Ghost Of The Lagoon

What looks like greed is not always what it seems. This can be seen in the story Ghost of the Lagoon, by Armstrong Sperry. In the story, the main character, Mako, is a boy that seems about 11-12 years old. He is accompanied everywhere by his dog, Afa. The story begins with Mako talking to his grandfather. They discuss Tupa, a shark-ghost that is accompanied by an abundance of myth and legend. During the course of the conversation, Mako finds out that his father was killed by Tupa. The next day, when coming back from an island to gather bananas, he is attacked by Tupa. He slays Tupa, and brings him back to the village. In the story, Mako can come across as greedy. However, Mako seems selfish, but only wants the best for his family.

Mako can seem selfish. This can be seen when he is talking to grandfather and he found out that the reward for Tupa’s capture, dead or alive, was “thirty acres of fine coconut land, and a sailing canoe as well,” to which Mako replies, “How I should love to win that reward!” Also, it can be seen where Mako goes to fetch the bananas for his mom, where he chooses to get oranges only because they taste good and are in season.

When Mako hears about the reward for Tupa’s capture, he might want to win the reward because if he did, his family would be able to live a lot less frugally. Also, when he fetches the bananas and oranges, he could have gotten them because his mother or grandfather would like them, as he says “Those little rusty ones are sweeter than any that grow on Bora