To Paradise

David Kawika Bingham is the protagonist of Book 2; he is a young Hawaiian man who lives in New York City and works as a paralegal. David lives with his boyfriend, Charles, a wealthy, older, white man, and feels ambivalent about the power dynamic in their relationship. David grew up in a privileged family in Hawaii but left his homeland and family behind because he had difficult experiences with his father. David sometimes thinks with great sadness about his childhood and his past: “How would he ever feel complete again? How could he make up for all those years? How could he forgive? How could he be forgiven?” (255)

David often feels melancholy and lost; he also has a hard time envisioning the future because many people around him contract HIV and die young. Because his narrative takes place within a very limited timeframe, David’s character experiences limited development and growth. His narrative does contain flashforwards that reveal he becomes more aware of the value of relationships and interdependency as he grows older. For example, he eventually realizes that he could have offered more comfort to Charles, noting that “comfort could have taken any form, that what had been important was that it was offered at all” (254).

David Kawika “Wika” Bingham is a secondary protagonist in Book 2; his retrospective narrative provides context for his son’s experiences. Wika was born in Hawaii in the 1940s and was raised by his mother, who put a lot of emphasis on his family’s descent from Hawaiian royalty. Wika is a dreamy and idealistic character who often gets lost in his imagination; he is also shy, awkward, and often lonely. Looking back on his childhood, Wika recalls that other boys “were never cruel to me, they never bullied me, but that was only because I wasn’t worth bullying” (272).

Because of these traits, Wika has a hard time forming enduring relationships. He becomes very close to Edward because he is attracted to Edward’s fiery and decisive personality. Wika’s character develops negatively as a result of his relationship with Edward; he becomes increasingly passive, ignores his doubts; and allows Edward to manipulate him. Wika’s son later remembers that Edward “wanted to reduce [Wika] into something that didn’t think at all” (225). It is not clear why Wika is so submissive, but his refusal to stand up to Edward or to make his own decisions destroys both his health and his relationship with David.

Wika shows stubbornness and resilience because he insists on staying at Lipo-wao-nahele even when it is unpleasant to do so. He describes himself as “stranded here by only my weakness and my stubbornness, two contradictory qualities, one canceling out the other, so that what remained was stasis” (351). Wika does experience growth because he eventually becomes self-aware enough to look back and regret his mistakes. However, by the time Wika can see the truth about his decisions, it is too late for him to change anything. He ends his life feeling that “the only thing I had ever accomplished was not leaving Lipo-wao-nahele. But not doing something is not the same as doing something” (357).

Charlie Bingham-Griffith is the protagonist of Book 3. She is a young woman who lives in a futuristic and dystopian version of New York City with her husband. Charlie works as a lab tech at a scientific research center dedicated to researching infectious diseases. Charlie was raised by her grandfather, who is a famous scientist; she is often lonely because her grandfather is now dead, and she does not have a close relationship with her husband, who is often cold and distant. Charlie was affected cognitively and emotionally because she was treated with experimental drugs during a viral epidemic. She has difficulty connecting with other people and does not believe that anyone can love her. Initially, Charlie is also quite passive and accepts the limitations imposed by her restrictive society, noting that “I did not think about trying to find the internet, and I did not think of going to another country. Some people did, but I did not” (538).

Charlie develops as she becomes more aware of her desires and more willing to consider pursuing a different kind of future. The discovery that her husband is having an affair makes Charlie realize that she would like to be in a more emotionally connected relationship; her relationship with David also makes her experience desire. These experiences prepare Charlie for the huge risk she takes when she decides to flee from America in pursuit of a better life in Great Britain. This choice shows that there has been significant growth in her character. Because the conclusion to her narrative is ambiguous, it is not known how her character development concludes. Like Book 1’s David, though, Charlie’s life ends in a moment of bold and decisive action.