Roughing It · Chapter
LXIV explained
The narrator recounts a comically disastrous horseback ride to join a party at Diamond Head and the King's Coconut Grove in Honolulu, interspersed with reflections on an ancient Hawaiian temple and the transformative impact of missionaries
What happens
The narrator recounts a comically disastrous horseback ride to join a party at Diamond Head and the King's Coconut Grove in Honolulu, interspersed with reflections on an ancient Hawaiian temple and the transformative impact of missionaries on the islands.
Themes in this chapter
Colonialism and Cultural Change
The narrator contrasts the 'savage' pre-missionary era with the 'civilized' present, praising missionaries for ending tyranny and introducing freedom, while also satirizing the loss of native idyllic life.
Humor and Exaggeration
The entire horseback ride is a comic set-piece, with the narrator's horse being absurdly lazy and stubborn, and the buggy ride described with nautical jargon and hyperbole.
The Absurdity of Pretension
The narrator mocks the missionary narrative of 'saving' natives by contrasting the supposed bliss of heaven with the dreariness of hell, and the 'rapture' of low-wage labor versus idyllic subsistence.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Describes his sensitive condition after riding, his late start, and his frustrating experience with a lazy horse named Oahu.
- Captain Fish
Accompanies the narrator at the government prison and later serves as navigator during the wild buggy ride, remaining calm and giving nautical directions.
- Captain Cook
Mentioned humorously as having brought a top-buggy and a horse to Hawaii in 1778, and referenced in the discussion of the Sandwich Islanders' condition.
- Kamehameha
Described as a Napoleon-like conqueror who invaded Oahu and impaled the heads of the defeated king and chiefs on the temple walls.
- Lan'lord
The landlord of the American Hotel informs the narrator that the party left nearly an hour ago and offers him a horse.
Key passages
“I am probably the most sensitive man in Hawaii tonight—especially about sitting down in the presence of my betters.”
After a long ride, the narrator humorously claims he is the most sensitive person in Hawaii, particularly about sitting down in polite company.
Opens the chapter with a pun on physical discomfort and social propriety.
“I named him after this island, 'Oahu' (pronounced O-waw-hee).”
The narrator names his horse after the island of Oahu.
Provides a phonetic guide to the Hawaiian pronunciation.
“I cannot describe what a load of anxiety was lifted from my mind when I found that he was only asleep.”
The narrator's fear that the horse was plotting mischief vanishes when he realizes it was merely sleeping.
Highlights the absurdity of the narrator's anthropomorphic fears.
“The missionaries have clothed them, educated them, broken up the tyrannous authority of their chiefs, and given them freedom and the right to enjoy whatever their hands and brains produce with equal laws for all, and punishment for all alike who transgress them.”
The narrator credits missionaries with ending chiefly tyranny, introducing education, clothing, and equal legal rights to the Hawaiian people.
A straightforward endorsement of missionary work, contrasting with the earlier satire.