Crawford & Kahanamoku

In Seven Weeks in Hawaii, the relationship between M. Leola Crawford and Duke Kahanamoku is eroticized. It’s one that typically emerges when a deliciously exotic lifestyle like the one lived by Kahanamoku seduces the safe and proper lifestyle represented by Crawford. Her first description of him likens his physical appearance to that of an Indian, “tall and dark,” immediately alluding to thoughts of danger and adventure. The thrill of breaking societal boundaries she’s accustomed to is experienced not only by Crawford, but also the general American reader intrigued by the mysteries of Hawaii.

Crawford’s playful remark about not getting wet while being taught to surf develops into a flirtatious act of being carried back to shore by the gentlemanly Kahanamoku. She admits to her fondness of him and implies her attraction to his ways of transgression. After colliding with the outrigger canoe, Crawford is “spread out on a surfboard” and experiences lomi-lomi, a native therapeutic massage performed by Kahanamoku. She and the rest of her party complain of exhaustion, but none are regretful for participating in the physically demanding activities. The reader takes part in all the thrilling romance and is tempted by the ways of the Hawaiian transgressor.

- Francis Miguelino