Typee (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Herman Melville
- First Published: 1846
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Adventure
- Time of Work: Mid-nineteenth century
- Setting: the Marquesas Islands
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: Prisoners
- Locales: Marquesas
Characters Discussed
Tom (Herman Melville), an American sailor on the whaler Dolly who, with his friend Toby, jumps ship at Nukuheva and immediately contracts a disease that makes his leg swell and become very painful. When their food runs out, they give themselves up to the Typee tribe of natives on the island. They are treated kindly, and Tom is given a native servant to take care of him. Toby leaves to seek medical aid and never returns, leaving Tom alone with the natives, who, the friends had discovered, are cannibals. Tom is allowed a fair amount of freedom but is...
[The entire page is 636 words long]
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