As with everything that Mark writes, there are so many layers to this piece. Lots of superstitions abound among seafarers. One of them is that a member of the crew could be 'bad luck' for the ship and other crew members. Thus the idea that if the one who had brought the doldrums on, were to remove himself, then the winds would pick up again.
The narrator is much devoted to his wife, and is eager to return to her, and the sooner the winds return, the sooner the ship can haul away for home.
As with everything that Mark writes, there are so many layers to this piece. Lots of superstitions abound among seafarers. One of them is that a member of the crew could be 'bad luck' for the ship and other crew members. Thus the idea that if the one who had brought the doldrums on, were to remove himself, then the winds would pick up again.
The narrator is much devoted to his wife, and is eager to return to her, and the sooner the winds return, the sooner the ship can haul away for home.