Identity Relating to Facial Versus Non-Facial Tattooing.
Through the use of descriptive language Melville is able to provide the reader with a clear line between what does and does not change someone’s identity. He uses the character Tommo to describe the native Typee people. Through these accounts of the Typee people we are able to understand the relationship Tommo and Melville have with tattoos affecting ones identity. By the end of the novel, Tommo is able to completely understand what creates and maintains an identity for ones self.
When Tommo first arrives on the island he is absolutely fascinated with the tattoos on the bodies on the Typee people. He depicts the human body with such detail that it is obvious that he has an obsession with these tattoos. This obsession slowly changes over time; however, it is clearly evident that he is fascinated by the following quote from chapter eleven.
But that which was most remarkable in the appearance of the splendid islander was......
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Approximate Word Count: 1733
Approximate Pages: 7 (260 words per double-spaced page) |