Typee · Chapter
The Escape explained
The narrator, having spent over four months in the Typee valley, is thrown into turmoil when Mow-Mow announces that Toby has arrived by boat.
What happens
The narrator, having spent over four months in the Typee valley, is thrown into turmoil when Mow-Mow announces that Toby has arrived by boat. Despite his desperate hope for rescue, the news proves false. Later, a boat from a French ship arrives, and the narrator is ransomed with the help of Karakoee. Amidst a violent conflict among the natives, he escapes to the boat, distributing gifts to his friends before fleeing, though Mow-Mow and others pursue and hurl javelins.
Themes in this chapter
Freedom and Captivity
The narrator's desperate escape from the Typee valley highlights the tension between his physical captivity and his yearning for freedom, culminating in a risky flight to the sea.
Colonialism and Its Effects
The arrival of a French boat and the use of trade goods (cloth, powder, musket) to ransom the narrator illustrate the impact of colonial contact and economic exchange on indigenous societies.
Characters to notice
- Narrator
The narrator, weakened and desperate, experiences a false hope of Toby's return and ultimately escapes the valley via a French boat.
- Mow-Mow
The one-eyed chief who announces Toby's supposed arrival and later leads a pursuit against the narrator's escape.
- Kory-Kory
The narrator's attendant, who carries him to the Ti and later receives a musket as a parting gift.
- Mehevi
The king who initially prevents the narrator from going to the sea but eventually grants permission.
- Karakoee
The Kanaka who negotiates the narrator's ransom and helps him escape into the boat.
- Fayaway
The narrator's companion who clings to him sobbing as he departs, receiving a parting embrace.
Key passages
“I was lifted over the side, and my strange appearance and remarkable adventure occasioned the liveliest interest.”
After being helped aboard, my unusual look and story sparked great curiosity among the crew.
The narrator describes his initial reception on the ship after escaping.
“Toby pemi ena (Toby has arrived here).”
Mow-Mow told me that Toby had come.
The false report of Toby's arrival that stirs the narrator's emotions.
“Toby owlee pemi.”
Toby has not arrived.
Kory-Kory reveals the news was false, crushing the narrator's hopes.
“I gave one parting embrace to Fayaway, who seemed speechless with sorrow, and the next instant I found myself safe in the boat.”
I hugged Fayaway goodbye as she wept silently, then quickly climbed into the boat.
The narrator's final farewell to Fayaway during his escape.