Roughing It · Chapter
LXVII explained
The narrator describes the Hawaiian legislature, the royal family, and the effects of missionary work on native customs, including clothing, diet, marriage, and superstitions.
What happens
The narrator describes the Hawaiian legislature, the royal family, and the effects of missionary work on native customs, including clothing, diet, marriage, and superstitions. He contrasts the dignified Christianized nobility with lingering pagan beliefs and the absurdities of the miniature monarchy.
Themes in this chapter
Colonialism and Cultural Change
Missionaries disrupt traditional Hawaiian customs, imposing Western clothing and morality while native superstitions persist.
The Absurdity of Pretension
The Hawaiian monarchy's mimicry of European royalty is portrayed as a comical 'play empire' with inflated titles and meager resources.
Humor and Exaggeration
The narrator uses satire to describe natives swapping clothes in church and the absurdity of the royal court.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Observes and comments on Hawaiian society, legislature, and missionary influence.
- Kamehameha
Referenced as the great warrior under whom Kekuanaoa served.
- Liholiho
Mentioned as the King, an educated Christian gentleman who still turns to idols in disaster.
Key passages
“If a Kanaka takes a notion to die, that is the end of him; nobody can persuade him to hold on; all the doctors in the world could not save him.”
If a native decides to die, no one can stop him, even if he is perfectly healthy.
Highlights the power of superstition and belief in death by prayer.
“The spectacle which the congregation presented was so extraordinary and withal so moving, that the missionaries found it difficult to keep to the text and go on with the services.”
The bizarre sight of the congregation in mismatched clothing made it hard for the missionaries to continue the service.
Illustrates the comedic clash between missionary expectations and native behavior.