The Secret of the Hawaiian Mystique Summary and Analysis

This chapter looks at the question of the Hawaiian mystique and why most people want to go to Hawaii. The author, Pila, first visited Hawaii when he was a Marine in Viet Nam. The islands were obviously an escape from the war and represented peace of mind to him. Disillusioned after the war, he returned to Hawaii and the beaches at Kona. He used the time at sunset for reflection.

At this time, Pila was trying to avoid other Viet Nam veterans. He goes to the Chicken Shack restaurant which is owned by Crazy Ed, a Viet Nam veteran. The man greets him with Welcome Home, a term that has special meaning to Viet Nam vets. Pila explains that they felt that they never came home because of the nature of...