Although I enjoy "Letters from Hawaii" much better than the re-written
version in _Roughing It_, I always saw the purpose of those end chapters
as Twain's further extension of the Frontier. If you read the book as
a geographic journey, obviously it seems an easy extension. From a
manifest destiny viewpoint it remains for Twain, as you said, "the
essential Western plot" - just another territory ripe for
western/American colonial and commerical expansion. But it fascinates me
that by the time Twain is re-writing these Hawaiian chapters for _RI_,
he is already in transition from a pro-imperialist to an
anti-imperialist; and that he will eventually have much more sympathy
for the plight the (geographical) external Other (Hawaiians, Philipinos)
than the American internal Other (Native Americans). The chapters almost
give us a glimpse of his 'political thought process' (sorry, I think
this Washingtonian atmosphere is affecting _my_ thought process!). By
the way, any ambitious tour guides at the Kilauea Volcano?

-Beth Regish