-Jessica St.Martin
When a Hawaiian native, Correa, talks about the government, he speaks "in a voice shaded ominously," as if the mere action of bringing up a haole deserves suspicion. The generalize the white men, referring to them as "the government," "the salesman," or "the haole" never once offering the mans name or identity. On page 12, Bobby and Correa even blatantly blame the "hauna" stink on the government and its plans to take something from the Hawaiians. They are even critical of the haoles clean, white, air conditioned car as if the ability to obtain such possessions is a wrong thing in their culture. The native Hawaiians are very distrustful of Americans and in this story they have every right to be. The portrayal of the salesman as a thief and a liar persuades the reader that white haoles always treat Hawaiians in this way. The salesman is charming, conniving and incessantly convincing. An interesting theme brought up in this passage is the Hawaaian portrayal of white american men in a negative way. Is it acceptable for them to treat another race in the same way that observer literature portrayed native Hawaiians?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUj5t4YevDs
Did Fujikane's reading of Pak change your perception at all? How? Bear in mind that there is no explicit haole presence other than the snake-oil salesman, the government worker is a Japanese man - which is poignant considering the Trask reading concerning the ascendence and concentration of Japanese political power in the Hawaiian democratic party ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the video link, it got a few laughs.
- Trey