The intrepid, emotional, charismatic, and infamous sea captain is the hero - but the excerpt of this novel called "From the Farm of Bitterness" is mostly the painfully accurate portrayal of protestant missionary activity in Hawaii during the early 1800s (1822) - as always Michener has fictionalized characters and throws in some actual ones.
A tiny descendent of Puritans graduates from Yale and basically enters into an arranged marriage with a young lady of the appropriate family who ironically is heartbroken in wait of her seafaring love Captain
Hoxworth who later proves to be everything that Abner Hale is not. In despair, she turns to religion in her solace and decides that being a missionary's wife on a faraway island is the perfect place to deposit her ardour. The couple embarks and just happens to encounter a vessel returning to New England guided by Captain Hoxworth who is returning to claim his bride Jerusha. He has renovated his entire cabin to make it comfortable for her only to discover that she's married to "this worm" as he refers to Abner. He storms onto their boat and demands to see her.
Over the course of the years, you begin to ascertain that Captain Hoxworth never fully recovers from his devotion to her. She fully commits to her new life and probably is the most "successful" in that she actually shows love and respect for the people.
Abner Hale's "missionary" endeavors are fraught with disdain for the culture, misguided efforts, and zeal without love. The island has already been ravaged by European diseases and unhealthy dependencies. The only influence that seems positive is that of discouraging infanticide.
Captain Hoxworth shows up on occasion - his boat met eagerly by naked native girls eager to "earn" goods and provisions that the sailors can provide. At one point he is horrified by Jerusha's strenuous poverty-stricken life and work-worn status. He rages at the stubborn Hale and is even party to their house being burnt down in his rage.
In later years he has a complete New England house shipped and constructed for them in some kind of attempt at recompense. (ever romantic and grand gesturey - Hoxworth - stealing the show again.) Ultimately Hale becomes discouraged in the lack of "success" of his mission. He never even allows native converts to take on leadership and they eventually revert to their old ways.
Jerusha dies and Captain Hoxworth returns and marries a beautiful Hawaiian woman. Their daughter ends up marrying Abner and Jerusha's son Micah and thus the circle is closed.
No comments:
Post a Comment