Hawaii Study Guide & Notes

Hawaii Plot Summary

Preview of Hawaii Summary:

Hawaii, by James Michener, is a historical novel about the Pacific and the Hawaiian Islands. It begins with the islands' formation from volcanic activity and then describes the history of the people, the original Polynesians. The book describes the missionaries who brought religion to the people and discusses the intermarriages with the Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos. It tells their story—how they struggled, who their kings and queens were, and how they existed.

The book tells the fascinating story of how the islands developed; how eleven missionary families arrived in Hawaii and, over the generations, became the backbone of its government and society in addition to becoming very wealthy and active in business and commerce. The original missionary families, in addition to trying to convert the pagans, taught the population to read and write and Western customs. As time went on, each succeeding generation became more of a blend...
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