The RMS Olympic Manifest: Tangible Link to Ancestral Heritage

Overview

In Colby Cedar Smith’s novel Call Me Athena, the RMS Olympic manifest appears not within the story itself but as a powerful piece of paratext in the Author’s Note. This concrete document—a ship manifest from the RMS Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic—lists the author’s great-grandparents, Giorgos and Jeanne Skandalaris, among its passengers. For Smith, the manifest becomes more than a historical artifact; it symbolizes the tangible connection to family heritage and the unexpected personal sign that compelled her to write this novel. This page explores the literal object, its recurrence, its shifting meaning, and its connections to the novel’s characters and themes.

The Literal Manifest

The RMS Olympic was a transatlantic ocean liner in service from 1911 to 1935, used during World War I to transport troops. The manifest in question is a passenger list from one of its voyages. In the Author’s Note, Smith explains that her great-grandparents—Giorgos and Jeanne—appear as numbers six and seven on that list. Although her novel sets their journey in 1918 (slightly earlier than the actual 1920 date on the manifest), Smith chose to keep this specific ship because of her love for its history. The manifest is a concrete record of their immigration, preserving their names and the date of their arrival.

The document itself is handwritten, with a porter’s notation. Smith points out that her own first name, Colby, appears twice in that handwriting—a coincidence she interpreted as a call to write the story. This detail transforms the manifest from a generic archival record into a deeply personal object.

Recurrence in the Author’s Note

The manifest does not recur throughout the novel’s narrative chapters. It is mentioned only in the Author’s Note, where Smith describes it, shows a photograph of it, and reflects on its meaning. However, its presence in the paratext makes it a recurring reference point for readers who engage with the source material. The note also includes family photographs, creating a visual archive that the manifest anchors. The document thus recurs conceptually: each time a reader returns to the Author’s Note, they confront the same tangible link between the author’s present and her ancestors’ past.

Changing Meaning of the Manifest

The manifest’s meaning shifts over the course of Smith’s explanation. Initially, it is a straightforward historical document—a list of names that verifies her great-grandparents’ journey. As she describes it, the meaning deepens: the document becomes a symbol of the immigrant experience, representing the risk and hope of crossing the Atlantic. The fact that her great-grandparents are numbers six and seven suggests a crowded steerage or third-class passage, typical of many immigrants.

The most significant shift occurs when Smith notes that her first name, Colby, appears twice in the porter’s handwriting. She writes, “This was one of the many reasons I felt called to write this story.” Here, the manifest transforms into a personal sign—almost a coincidence too striking to ignore. It no longer only represents the past; it also speaks to the author in the present, affirming her purpose as a writer. This change mirrors the novel’s concern with legacy: the past communicates with the present, urging action.

Connections to Characters and Themes

Characters

Mary Skandalaris (the author’s grandmother): The manifest records the journey of Mary’s parents, Giorgos and Jeanne. Mary herself is the central figure of the novel and the Author’s Note—Smith wrote the book “mainly for my grandmother Mary.” The manifest is a direct link to the family history that Mary carried and eventually lost to Alzheimer’s.
Giorgos and Jeanne Skandalaris: These are the great-grandparents listed on the manifest. While they appear as characters in the novel (renamed slightly for fiction), the manifest grounds their fictional portrayal in real history.
Colby Cedar Smith: The author is not a character in the novel, but her insertion of her own name on the manifest creates a bridge from the document to her writing process. She becomes a character in her own story of discovery.

Themes

Legacy and Memory: The manifest exemplifies tangible heritage. It preserves names and dates that would otherwise be lost. Smith’s grandmother Mary forgot her memories due to Alzheimer’s, but the manifest—like the novel—serves as a permanent record. See more on legacy and memory.
Immigrant Experience: The manifest is a classic symbol of immigration: a list of newcomers whose lives will be transformed in America. It connects to the broader theme of the immigrant experience in the novel.
Identity and Independence: Mary’s fight for independence (becoming a successful businesswoman in the 1950s) is rooted in the choices her parents made by immigrating. The manifest is a starting point for her story. Explore the identity and independence theme.
Grief and Loss: The novel opens with Mary’s grief compared to a brush fire (Chapter 1). The manifest, as a document of the deceased ancestors, is a reminder of loss. Yet it also offers comfort through connection. Read about grief and loss.
Gender Roles and Expectations: Smith notes that Mary “rocked the pantsuit at a time when women were expected to wear aprons and pearls.” The manifest, by recording Mary’s mother Jeanne’s arrival, indirectly relates to the constraints Jeanne faced and the legacy of defiance Mary inherited. See gender roles and expectations.

Four Study Questions

How does the RMS Olympic manifest function as a symbol of legacy in Call Me Athena?
The manifest is a physical record of the author’s great-grandparents’ immigration. By including it in the Author’s Note, Smith turns the document into a symbol of enduring family memory. It exists even after Mary’s Alzheimer’s erased her personal recollections, proving that some heritage remains traceable through archival sources.
What is the significance of the author’s name, Colby, appearing on the manifest?
Smith describes seeing her name in the porter’s handwriting as a sign that she was meant to write this story. This transforms the manifest from a neutral list into a personal omen, reinforcing the idea that family voices can reach across generations and demand to be heard.
In what ways does the manifest connect to the novel’s opening poem about grief?
The opening poem (Chapter 1) portrays grief as a brush fire that consumes everything. The manifest is a direct counterpoint: it is a fixed, unburned record. While grief erases (as Alzheimer’s erased Mary’s memories), the manifest preserves names and journeys. The author’s act of writing the novel becomes an attempt to rebuild what was lost, using the manifest as a foundation.
Why does Smith alter the historical date of the voyage (using 1918 instead of 1920) while keeping the RMS Olympic manifest?
Smith chooses to keep the ship because of her appreciation for its history and its symbolic weight. The alteration shows that the manifest’s value lies not in exact chronology but in its emotional and symbolic truth. It represents the immigrant journey authentically, even if the dates are adjusted for narrative purposes.

Further Exploration

To deepen your understanding of the symbols and themes in Call Me Athena, explore the following internal pages: