The Lucky Strike

Michael Forcino 7/13/12

Ship Breaker

A Lucky Strike was one of those things that people envied. The characters in this book believe in the power of luck, and that you have to be lucky and smart to pull off a Lucky Strike. The people in this book believe in luck because of three main reasons. One is that the only way they can do their jobs every day is because of the chance they might get lucky. Another reason is that they are jealous of Lucky
Strike and that they could get lucky too. The third reason is that they don’t have a certain religion so they use the power of luck to believe in. The first reason the people in Ship Breaker believe in luck is because the only way they can keep doing their jobs every day is to hope they get lucky. In the book, the characters talk about Lucky Strike and how their work is boring but it could pay off if they get lucky. On page 78 the two main characters found something that could make them very lucky. “Suddenly she dashed past him, sprinting for the ship. ‘That’s scavenge!’” They were waiting for that break for a long time. The second reason is because they are jealous of Lucky Strike. The people in this book know about Lucky Strike, a guy who stole oil from a cargo ship he was scavenging. He became rich and famous. People called him Lucky Strike because he got lucky. They believe in luck because they want to get lucky just like him. On page 70 the main character describes Lucky Strike. “…and the money just rolled in, turning into gold nuggets that he hung glittering from the tips of his dreadlocks or else drove through his ears in thick gleaming rings. The man dripped wealth.” Everyone was jealous of him and how he got lucky. The last reason the people in Ship Breaker believe in luck is because they don’t have any religion so they use the power of luck as a belief. One of the side characters in the book talks about the luck gods and how you need to thank them if you get lucky. On page 48 a character says “We pray to the Rust
Saint to help us find something we can keep for ourselves. Hell, even my mom puts good rice on the
Scavenge God’s scale for a luck offering, and we just end up like Sloth.” They believe in the power of luck as a religion. The characters in this book believe so much in the power of luck. They believe in luck because there’s a chance they will get lucky which keeps them working. They also believe in luck because they are jealous of Lucky Strike and they need something to believe in due to lack of any religion. Throughout this book the main character is very lucky and he comes from one of those places where luck is needed.
The people in that kind of world need luck to keep them going and to look forward to something great.