In Alaska Michener focuses on the major themes of his previous works.

He is most concerned with man's intolerance and inhumanity toward his fellow man. Also typical of past works is his depiction of the white man's destruction of the environment and his exploitation of darker-skinned races. In "Reflection" at the end of Journey, Michener states: "I wanted to help the American public to think intelligently about the Arctic where large portions of future international history might well focus; I wanted to remind my readers that Russia had held Alaska for a longer period, 127 years ... than the U.S. had held it." One of the best illustrations of Michener's themes is found at the end of the section "The Duel" When Russians arrived on the Aleutian Islands in 1741, the islands were the home of 18,500 Aleuts; when the Russians left, "ninety-four percent had been starved, drowned, forced...