Mardi, and a Voyage Thither (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Herman Melville
- First Published: 1849
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Allegory
- Time of Work: Mid-nineteenth century
- Setting: Islands of the Western Pacific
- Genres: Long fiction, Sea story
- Subjects: Nineteenth century, Mistaken or secret identity, Islands, Kings, queens, or royalty, Legends, Gods or goddesses, Sailing or sailors, Pacific Ocean
- Locales: Islands, Pacific Ocean
Characters Discussed
The narrator, a young American sailor in the South Seas who, with a companion, jumps ship and leaves in a small boat for hospitable islands. At sea, he meets a blonde native girl named Yillah. The party is welcomed to an island by a group of natives who call the narrator “Taji,” thinking he is that god reincarnated. The narrator falls in love with Yillah. When she mysteriously disappears, he wanders the seas, visiting many islands, looking for her. His quest is to no avail.
Yillah, the narrator’s sweetheart, the symbol of good in the...
[The entire page is 529 words long]
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