Hawaii

This is my third attempt at this book – I bought it in 2008! In the first attempt, the geological history of Hawaii in the first 15 pages put me to sleep and in the second, the journey of the first settlers of Hawaii from Bora Bora just became too much of a plod work. This time I was determined to complete it, and I am glad I did – the book is magnificent!

We use the word saga a bit loosely, but this one truly deserves that description. From the geological explanations of the formation of Hawaii to the Congressional politics of the 20th century, Michener does what he does best!

The first section describes in vivid detail, how the island and then the first life form on it came to be. It is difficult to truly appreciate the work done by nature, spanning millions of years. In the second section, the early settlers of Hawaii get (relatively) few pages as Michener only seeks to establish the difficult conditions under which they made the islands their home. The third section, which chronologically is much later (a jump of a few centuries, rather uncharacteristic of Michener) and whose principal characters are the New England missionaries is arguably where the narrative truly begins. The missionaries’ moral, spiritual and existential struggles are wonderfully documented and through various characters, Michener manages to show the divergence of life in Hawaii. This is also where my first tears appeared – for Abner Hale. His moral and spiritual resolve causes him much metal and physical anguish and his story made me consider that there might be no such thing as cosmic justice, especially when seen in conjunction with Captain Hoxworth, who despite his deeds never really paid for them.

The fourth section is on the Chinese immigration and Michener takes the trouble to give us the back story of the main characters. Char Nyuk Tsin and her (ultimately) hundreds of grandchildren give us the Chinese-Hawaiian perspective as she battles various kinds of challenges throughout her life. Through her, and her children’s and their children’s efforts, the Kees and the Chinese in general become a force to reckon with.

The fifth section focuses on the Japanese. I have a new found respect for Japanese after I read this – for their unflinching devotion to their country. Kamejiro Sakagawa is the perfect protagonist as he symbolises the Japanese viewpoint on duty and honour wonderfully. His travails, especially when he tries to educate his children, is another section that can make eyes go moist. Once again, the efforts of his children ensure that the Japanese make a place for themselves in the scheme of things. The agony of being Japanese-Hawaiian int he time of Pearl Harbour is another wonderful narrative within this.

Ironically, the only people who seem marginalised are the original Hawaiians, (the characters in the book, that is) who live as beach boys and dancers, and are largely dependent on the missionaries’ descendants (who are now the backbone of the islands’ economy and politics) for their subsistence. Michener spends some time on this in the last section and towards the end, we also see a glimmer of hope for their future, as these ethnically diverse sets of people intermarry and collectively start working for Hawaii.

There are many wonderful nuances in the book and one is bound to miss many of them when dealing with the 1000+ pages. I loved the portion where a contemporary character is able to recollect the chants of the first settlers, which served as directions. One of the principal characters in the final sections is Hoxworth Hale – I wonder if that is an intended irony to show the extent to which the divergent view points and people in Hawaii have learnt to coexist.
In essence, if you can steel yourself to finishing it, you should love it!