Visitants: Analysis of Major Characters
"Visitants: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the lives and interactions of various characters set against the backdrop of colonial Papua New Guinea. Central to the narrative is Alistair Cawdor, a patrol officer grappling with personal and cultural turmoil as he becomes increasingly absorbed in a cargo cult that venerates extraterrestrial visitors. Cawdor's struggle for redemption ultimately leads to tragedy when he discovers the cult's activities are tied to human political upheaval, prompting his devastating decision to take his own life.
Tim Dalwood, Cawdor's young assistant, navigates the complexities of cultural exchange and personal relationships, forming a bond with local islanders that transcends the exploitative nature of their circumstances. Other significant characters include K. M. MacDonnell, a cynical planter who reflects on his interactions with both locals and his peers, and Naibusi, MacDonnell's insightful housekeeper, who observes the dynamics of power and self-destruction among the colonial figures. Saliba and Benoni emerge as representatives of hope and change, actively engaging in the evolving cultural landscape, while figures like Dipapa and Metusela illustrate the native response to colonialism and the chaos it incites. This multifaceted character analysis invites readers to reflect on the nuanced relationships and tensions that define the intersections of colonial rule and indigenous cultures.
Visitants: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Randolph Stow
First published: 1979
Genre: Novel
Locale: Papua New Guinea
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: 1959
Alistair Cawdor, a patrol officer in the Australian protectorate of Papua New Guinea. Called Misa Kodo in the local pidgin, Cawdor is responsible for all aspects of central administration. His official duties, however, only add to the personal turmoil that has eroded his skill in the islands' maze of custom and responsibility. On the island of Kailuana, he becomes obsessed with an apparent cargo cult that worships extraterrestrial visitors. Considering evidence of spacecraft sightings, Cawdor finds what he considers to be his only chance for salvation: The returning aliens, it is said, will annihilate the “Dim-dims” (whites) or will transform them into islanders; either possibility appeals to Cawdor. The one possibility unbearable to him, that the apocalyptic cult is merely part of a political upheaval of an all-too-terrestrial kind, proves to be the case. With his hope for redemption dashed, Cawdor commits suicide rather than enforce the flawed and limited kinds of order that he represents officially, culturally, and personally.
Tim Dalwood, also called Misa Dolu'udi (doh-lew-EWdee), Cawdor's nineteen-year-old assistant patrol officer. Although he is hindered by inexperience and ignorance of the local language, Dalwood has an innate generosity that makes him attractive to both whites and natives. He and Saliba begin an affair—necessarily exploitative and hopeless under the circumstances—that surprisingly develops into genuine friendship. His enthusiastic study of local customs includes depths and sensitivities that seem uncharacteristic until his self-descriptions are taken as seriously as other characters' opinions of him. At that point, Dalwood emerges as a strong figure, capable of surviving the psychological upheavals of cultural interaction and helpful in directing, along with Saliba and Benoni, the transcultural affairs of modern Pacific society.
K. M. MacDonnell, who has been given the title MacDonnell of Kailuana and is called Misa Makadoneli (mah-kah-DAHN-eh-lee), a planter who has lived on the island since 1915. The eccentric MacDonnell's cynicism and low expectations cover deep considerations of the personal and cultural interactions in which he participates. In Cawdor, MacDonnell recognizes equal intellectual range, but he is unable to argue the officer out of depression; he sees greater promise in Dalwood, whose open-mindedness and strength remind him of his own youth. At the onset of the native battles, MacDonnell withdraws: His age and position preclude involvement both in the political struggle and in his friend's sad decline.
Naibusi (nay-BEW-see), MacDonnell's housekeeper and former lover. Rumored to maintain MacDonnell's security through sorcery, she is in fact a most alert witness to the complex interactions of natives and administrators. Her comments on Cawdor's self-destructiveness and Dalwood's assumption of authority provide a good measure of the whites' situation.
Saliba (sah-LEE-bah), Naibusi's teenage assistant. She is attracted to Dalwood but realizes that her prospects lie entirely on Kailuana. Although repelled by the whites'conduct—particularly when Dalwood kisses her in public—she is even more saddened by the violence among the natives; she ends the uprising by killing Metusela. Along with Benoni, Saliba represents a new, hopeful relationship between administrators and islanders.
Benoni (bay-NOH-nee), Dipapa's nephew and rightful heir; he lost his position by having an affair with one of the chief's wives. Educated off the island in white-run schools, Benoni feels less threatened than most others by the values and customs of the whites. Although his transcultural accommodation—not assimilation—continues to bring alienation and insecurity, Benoni proves to be a capable leader in the restructuring that follows the violence.
Dipapa (dee-PAH-pah), the chief of Kailuana. Ancient and nearly immobile, yet still revered and powerful, Dipapa instigates the native violence through Metusela. His exact motive is not revealed; perhaps he desires to create proper conditions for the return of the “starmen,” but he may want only a last show of force.
Metusela (may-tew-SAY-lah), the prophetic, possibly insane leader of the cargo cult and a provoker of violence. It is suggested, though not proven, that Metusela is actually Taudoga, the disappeared leader of a violent coup on another island. The spiritual basis of his nativist movement may be qualified by a simple lust for power.
Osana (oh-SAH-nah), a government interpreter. Unscrupulous and manipulative, Osana is detested by all on Kailuana. As the only character fluent in both English and the island dialect, his power lies in the ability to play one side against the other through threatened mistranslation.
Kailusa (kay-LEW-sah), Cawdor's servant. Pathetic and physically deformed, he is utterly reliant on Cawdor. He commits suicide shortly after the death of his benefactor.