Novel:Pouliuli Albert Wendt

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 1The narrative is placed at a point that
enables past events to be traced to the present
crisis. The narrative then is established through
flash-backs-most of which are short summaries,
often with an ironic/satiric look at past events
and the role of other characters with the benefit
of hindsight. The narrative at certain points
returns to the current crisis of Faleasas
identity and establishes further developments in
the novel. Act of being insane used as a means of
exposing and satirizing people and speaking the
truth. Questions sanity/insanity (p17) and how
the normal world with all its violence and terror
creates only the illusion of peace. Faleasa plans
to use his insanity to escape this normal world
as he confides to his friend Laaumatua.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 2
• Flashback on the lives and association between
  Faleasa and Laaumatua.
• Comparision between the two as outsider/insider
  Faleasa-born to highest title in Aiga Faleasa,
  Laaumatua illegitimate son from poorest aiga
  in Malelua.
• Challenge to God/truth-guilt. God-fearing son of
  mine-punishment violent for violating the law of
  god.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 3 Narrative back to current state of
Faleasa faking madness, sets his son Moaula
(raw courage without much brains and
controlp30) against his brother Elefane/Mother
Felefele on the issue of getting his title/matai.
Felefele decides to take F aleasa to Apia to see
a white/paplagi doctor argument over plots to
declare him insane. Faleasa declares intention
to relinquish all my worldly responsibilities
p36. Uses his power over people to force Moaula
as his heir. Elefane leaves home and Faleasa
declares this action prove his incapability to
assume the position of head of the aiga. Moaula
is installed as head and Faleasa plots to get rid
of Filemoni and others he dislikes.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 4 Flashback to 1921-contact with
Europeans/papalagi. London Missionary Society
visiting missionary party-Osovae Faleasa and
Lemigao Laaumatau. Description of the knowledge
of local customs by the missionaries as example
of their use of this to further their work.
Christianity and rituals of technology/knowledge
as exercise of their power. School teaching
by violence/force/fear. Visit to
Apia/buildings/ice-cream/tap water/girl-allusion
of Apia-haunting/mysterious.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 4 Flashback to 1921-contact with
Europeans/papalagi. London Missionary Society
visiting missionary party-Osovae Faleasa and
Lemigao Laaumatau. Description of the knowledge
of local customs by the missionaries as example
of their use of this to further their work.
Christianity and rituals of technology/knowledge
as exercise of their power. School teaching
by violence/force/fear. Visit to
Apia/buildings/ice-cream/tap water/girl-allusion
of Apia-haunting/mysterious.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 5 1941-Osovae-WWII-Lemigaos work at US
airforce base. Lemigao-steals/cons his way around
arrogance of interpreter-beer/bourbon
Sargeant-quest for a woman to cure him of his
loneliness. Lemigaos lack of morals/virtue-triang
le. Chapter 6 Back to current narration-Faleasa
and Laaumatua-gives his background to matai
council meeting. Use of Sau to get rid of
Filemoni as pastor.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 7
• Faleasa in youth on his need to avenge his
  mother/Vaipaia.
• Who claimed to have been slighted by Tapu
• Loveless mother-seen as idle, arrogant woman
  and only talked to Osovae when she was angry
  with him. P71. Use of shotgun to force Tapu to
  apologise.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 8 Lemigao and quest to find a wife.
Lemigao disappears after his seduction of a
Malaeluan girl is exposed. Tales of his
seductions-Lemigaos deformity-his courage-use of
wiles to overcome it-force reassessment of his
capabilities. Marries Mua with whom he forms a
bond of mutual trust-adoption of Moses-generosity
expectation against need for individual
wealth-Lemigos savings ac.- acquisition of
material wealth/status. Moses illness dies
curse of Mua-beaten up and leaves.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 8
• Lemigao and quest to find a wife. Lemigao
  disappears after his seduction of a Malaeluan
  girl is exposed.
• Tales of his seductions-Lemigaos deformity-his
  courage-use of wiles to overcome it-force
  reassessment of his capabilities.
• Marries Mua with whom he forms a bond of mutual
  trust-adoption of Moses-generosity expectation
  against need for individual wealth-Lemigos
  savings ac.- acquisition of material
  wealth/status. Moses illness dies curse of
  Mua-beaten up and leaves.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 9
• Current time a season of abundance and leisure
  amidst which Saus rumored affair shows the use
  of rumors and counter rumors and the use of tears
  in communal weeping for forgiveness showing
  hypocrisy of such means.
• Use of pastors word shows the use of religion to
  justify actions of people or to assign guilt and
  blame. But we have only the pastors word that
  Sau is guilty. Said Vaelpua. Are you saying our
  Man of God is lying? (p.89)
• Nomination of Vaelpua to inform Sau of his guilt.
  Steps towards ensuring that Aiga Faleasa and
  Moaula got power of the council.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 10
• 1. Faleasa left on his own-realises need to form
  bonds-feels lonely and neglected.
• Moalua growth and movement of his own
  power-ignores Faleasas complaints about being
  neglected in a condescending way.
• Forced attention-signals the growth of Moaluas
  powers.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Ponders about the mythological hero
Pili-Malaeluan beliefs on cosmos and mans place
in it. P94-98. Pilis legend included the
befriending of three spirits Tausamitele-Insatiab
le Appetite, Lelemalosi-Strong Flight, and
Pouliuli-Darkness. (95) in his quest to be
restored to human form.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 10 Pili is set three tasks which is
achieved his spirits-eating fish/invisibility-flig
ht/darkness/vanishes-darkness. Acquisition of
gifts of fire, fishing net and war club by
blackmail of Tagaloaalagi over Sina and brought
back for the Malaeluans-conquest/unification of
Samoa-forged links between Fiji and Tonga. Pilis
benevolent reign is destroyed by conflict between
his children and he leaps into Pouliuli-darkness
in disappointment. Faleasa as he recounts this
ending examines the meaning and is shown to
assert This conclusion did not frighten him it
was consoling, like being suspended in the core
of timeless sea, without a beginning or end and
all was well.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 10
• Story about the old man who is befriended and
  betrayed by Faleasa.
• That night Osovae dramt the old man was his
  father but, unlike his real father, the old man
  allowed him to behave like a child, encouraged
  him to openly when he felt like it, and talked to
  him when he wanted to talk. P100.
• Debate and discussion on god, love and
  compassion. Building of pebbles (p105).
  Signs-heresy of pebbles-power of
  rumors-fears/superstitions.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 10
• Stories legends about the old man and his
  past-p108-
• That night when he tried to sleep, he sensed
  that his time with the old man was coming to an
  end but he persuaded himself he would able to
  accept it he hadnt needed anyones love before,
  not even his parent, so why should he need a old
  man to comfort him.
• LMS background of old man his brilliance-madness/g
  enius.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 10 Questions the horror being born out
of the worlds collective memory? p113. The old
mans reading from the bible on vanity Vanity,
all is vanity. Is prophetic. p113. On p.112 this
is summarized in biblical terms You swim up out
of the painful depths of memory to feel again the
agonizing prison of your ancient carcass around
like Lazaruss foul bandages. You betrayed the
old man.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 11/I
• Faleasas relationship with his father again
  presented in summary form illustrates the
  loveless relationship that exist within the
  framework of communal societies with its emphasis
  on conformity and uniformity. To his demanding
  father, who had awed him with a limitless fear
  (the aptest description of how he had really felt
  about his father), the son had been merely an
  extension of himself, further proof of his
  virility, to be shaped in his image in order to
  continue his brand of leadership-and his name of
  course. P115.
• Biblical/societal/communal responsibilities are
  given priority over parenting and providing love
  and care for children. Hypocrisy of teaching
  morality by a father who is immoral-Licentiousnes
  s.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 11/2
• Memory and passing of genealogies-to provide a
  sense of the past and provide framework for
  future learning.
• Role of women Manutagis first wife young buxom
  girl who needed more satisfying than Manutangi
  could give herp(118)
• and second wife middle-aged widow who was
  calculating shrew (who) speeded his
  disintegration. (p119).

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt
Chapter 12 Three months after Saus banishment,
Faleasa and Laaumatua, plot their way onto the
next step of the power structure for the local
elections. The local MP is also indebted to
Faleasa for his position. Malaga was his cousin
and enjoyed luxuries that Faleasa Osovae, had
got him by ensuring his re-election every three
years for the past nine years (p124). Malagas
past and his problems to be used against him in a
bid to get Moaula elected. Kava ceremony and
rituals that follow express power and status as a
communal event that honors and elevates
individuals.
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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 12
• Malagas buying of the matai for votes yes,
  bought was the only word for it-by Malaga with
  such crude offeringsmoney, food, false praise
  and now whisky. A time honored custom had been
  turned into a mockery a cheap system of buying
  and he, Faleasa, had allowed it to happen
  (p128).
• Visit to Apia to see Malaga-overwhelmed with the
  cluttered pretentiousness there was no feeling
  of homeliness about it like the windows of the
  large stores it had been set up as a permanent
  display to impress visitors. (p131). Baits
  Malaga with information about a plot and promises
  to ensure his re-election. Plies Faleasa with
  food/money.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 13
• Malaga is deceived in believing that he was going
  to win the election against Moaula as a decoy
  candidate. Faleasa uses his power to manipulate
  people and their votes and ensure victory for
  Moaula.
• He realizes that Christianity had become
  unimportant for him his rebellion and quest for
  freedom that had reduced it to its rightful
  perspective as a social custom that once observed
  so as not to offend the majority of the people.
  (p135). Regrets the loss of learning about his
  ancient religion as it was banished into The
  Time before the Coming of the Light. Or The
  Days of Darkness and Paganism (p136).

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 13
• Questioning of Malaga by Faleasa, who lies to all
  the questions. Faleasa is left to ask Was there
  no honesty left in Malaga? He asked himself. No
  conscience?
• Had the disease infected him utterly? If Malaga
  was representative of the new leadership there
  was no hope for Malelua or Samoa. (p139)
• This is central to the novels aims of
  questioning power structures, communal values and
  individual responses to both. Faleasa himself
  then invokes God in his sermon from the bible
  before votes were cast.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 13
• Malagas violent response to his loss causes
  Faleasa to make a reality check and he is
  grateful for the unswerving support of Moalua.
  Realising at that moment that his son would,
  without regret or reservation, die for him,
  Faleasa felt as if the beating of his own heart
  was that of his sons (p141). Moaluas
  response to save his father leads to the death of
  Malaga and his cousin and brings to a tragic end
  the plans laid out by Faleasa. Faleasa knows that
  for that he would never be forgiven. Not ever.
  (p143). Aiga Faleasa reverts to the control of
  Elefane and his mother Felefele.

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 14
• This chapter acts as an epilogue to explain
  Faleasas transformation into the old man that he
  had once betrayed. And for Laaumatua the memory
  of that other man and the sight of Faleasa on the
  steps became indistinguishably one-one lucid
  memory giving meaning to what his friend had
  become. (p144).
• Closure is brought about by Falease consenting to
  go and stay with Laaumatua who ponders on the
  meaning of life as Its all vanitywe lost out a
  long time ago sleep on my most precious friend,
  safe in the embrace of Pouliuli, the Great
  Darkness out of which we came and which we must
  return. (p145).

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NovelPouliuli Albert Wendt

• Chapter 14.
• The previous statement comes to term with the
  passing of time and life and death as momentary
  instances. We leave behind what we have done and
  achieved not as lasting monuments but as fleeting
  memories. Pouliuli (Darkness) is thus expressed
  as the point from which life begins and where it
  ends. Subramani in South Pacific Literature
  describes this as a powerful synthesizing
  principle that contains life-death opposition,
  the antithetical light and darkness, being and
  non-being, hope and desolation, regression into
  childhood. Maui discovers Pouliuli and mans
  mortality in his attempt to triumph over
  Hine-nui-te-po, the death goddess Faleasa
  encounters Pouliuli in his search for freedom.
  (p10)