Hawaii (1959) is one of the earlier books by well-known and prolific author James A. Michener. The novel is typical of Michener’s historical epics, which focus on transgenerational family sagas played out against the backdrop of world events. Prior to writing Hawaii, Michener had already gained fame with Tales of the South Pacific, which won a Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1948, and was later adapted into the Broadway musical South Pacific. The author gained much of his knowledge of the region while stationed there as a soldier during World War II.

Michener, who died in 1997, specialized in depicting a broad cross-section of humanity. His historical epics typically exceed 1000 pages in length. Notable titles include The Fires of Spring (1949), Caravans (1963), The Source (1965), The Drifters (1971), Centennial (1974), Chesapeake (1978), Alaska (1988), Texas (1985), Poland (1983), and Caribbean (1989). Hawaii falls into the genres of United States Historical Fiction and Saga Fiction.

This study guide and all its page citations are based on The Dial Press 2013 Kindle edition of the novel. Diacritical marks used in the Hawaiian Language are not used in this edition of the book, so diacritics have not been used when reproducing Hawaiian names and words in this guide.

Content Warning: The novel contains incidents of racism, rape, human sacrifice, warfare, and other scenes of violence.

Plot Summary

Temporally and geographically, the novel spans a huge range. The story begins millions of years ago with the geological formation of the Hawaiian island chain. However, most of the novel’s action takes place from the 1820s to the late 1940s. While the book is principally set in Hawaii, other locations include New England, China, Japan, and the stretches of ocean associated with migrations from each of these locations. The story is told by an omniscient narrator who focuses on a different character in each of the book’s parts. These include a Polynesian prince, a Chinese peasant girl, a Japanese farmer, and a white business tycoon. In the final pages of the novel, the narrator reveals himself to be one of the aforementioned characters.

Part 1 of the novel offers a description of how the island chain was formed millions of years ago. The text emphasizes that the land isn’t particularly hospitable to plant or animal life and stresses the fact that those who come here must bring all that they need to survive since the land won’t provide it.

Part 2 details the migration of a group of Polynesians from Bora Bora in the ninth century. Prince Teroro is unhappy with a new deity being foisted on the people by the powerful priests of the region. This new god insists on human sacrifice, and the prince may be his next victim. Taking a large canoe with 60 people, livestock, and plants, Teroro sets out for a legendary island far to the north. The destination is unknown, and the stars are the only navigational device. After finding Hawaii, Teroro makes a return trip to Bora Bora to collect his wife, Marama, and the sacred stone of the fire goddess Pere. Teroro, Marama, and the goddess Pere form the foundation myth of the Hawaiian people.

Part 3 skips forward to the early 19th century to describe the settling of a group of New England missionaries in Hawaii. The central figure in this section is the young divinity student, Abner Hale. He is morally rigid and unwilling to allow the Hawaiians to continue worshipping their own deities along with the Christian God. Abner’s relationship with the Hawaiian supreme ruler, Malama, and her husband, Kelolo, illustrates the cultural conflict between the new white population and Indigenous Hawaiians. Some of the missionaries lose faith in their cause and become planters or merchants, thus forming the basis for what will become Hawaii’s new ruling class.

Part 4 jumps to the mid-19th century and follows the story of a Chinese peasant named Nyuk Tsin who unexpectedly finds herself on the way to Hawaii. After arriving, she works hard to make a life for herself with her common-law husband and five children. Her husband dies of leprosy on Molokai, but Nyuk Tsin’s foresight and determination make her growing family a force to be reckoned with. At the same time, the descendants of the missionaries increase their control of the economy and politics of Hawaii. They orchestrate a coup to allow the US to annex Hawaii. While this first rebellion fails, the annexation occurs in 1898.

Part 5 begins in the early 20th century and follows the fortunes of a young Japanese migrant named Kamejiro Sakagawa. Although he begins as a sugarcane plantation worker, over time he improves his lot and raises a large family. By the outbreak of World War II, four of his sons fight for the US, and two die in the process. His two remaining sons unionize the plantation workers, and one of the sons becomes a territorial senator. During this period, the descendants of the missionaries learn that they must accept the growing influence of Asians in the islands.

Part 6 comprises character profiles of four individuals who move beyond the constraints of their original cultures to meet the changing conditions of life in the islands. Each represents an example of adaptive strategies that give Hawaii the resilience to prosper in the modern world.