Themes
In his memoirs, Michener wrote, 'A novel is a receptacle into which the writer throws everything he believes to be relevant, but the reader will be enticed only if the matter is thrown with skill and artistry.'
Some literary critics may disagree, but Michener’s skill and artistry that produced his themes were obviously popular with readers. He wrote primarily in the mornings on a manual typewriter and admitted that 'writing is hard, exhausting work...At 12:30 when I stop, I am usually sweaty.'
He described himself as 'an old-fashioned two-finger typist who won’t give up his manual typewriter...There is a theory among writers that if you type with 10 fingers you type faster than you can think. Even with my two fingers I sometimes outrun myself. The problem is to get a typing speed that is harmonious with your brain speed.'
He added, 'Throughout my writing career I have tried to use effective words that are not too arcane in sentences that are not too long to achieve paragraphs that produce a narrative that will constantly lure the reader from one page to the next...Good writing, for most of us, consists of trying to use ordinary words to achieve extraordinary results.'
His manuscripts were scribbled upon, cut and pasted, and endlessly revised. 'I may not be the world’s greatest writer, but I’m certainly one of the great rewriters,' he said.
Michener compared a writer sitting at his desk with an empty piece of paper to 'the explorer who stands at the edge of a continent uncertain of how to proceed. Where do we go from here?'
He was taught that a novel consisted of two distinct types of writing: 'carry, in which the forward movement of the novel is revealed in bold strokes, and scene, which reveals the character involved in a specific action at a specific site.'
In his Writer’s Handbook, he said the best job for a would-be writer 'is working in the token clerk’s booth of a New York City subway.' In addition to seeing and meeting interesting people, 'you leave work after eight hours with your unused mind eager to tackle something of importance.'
For Michener, the act of writing also implied the taking of a moral stand. In some ways, he’s more of a teacher or preacher than writer. His books were a reflection of his life and background, celebrating the all-America virtues of common sense, hard work, frugality, harmony, courage and patriotism. Again and again, his stories are variations of the Quaker belief in the literal brotherhood of man.
'Theme has been of extreme importance to me,' he said. 'Early in my career I elected to write about far places in turmoil, men at war, new nations emerging, and that decision has served me well.'
Often he tells stories with missionary zeal of problems caused by the lack of understanding among ethnic groups, the role of migration and adaptation to new situations, concern for the environment, the condition of women, and the state of modern American society.
He added, 'Stressing theme too obviously produces mechanical plotting, stereotypical characters and tedious reading.' He noted that 'thousands of people read Hawaii without recognizing it as a strong statement on race relations.' He places great importance on human tolerance, and whether the issue is race, religion or culture, his books promote respect for all human beings.
Michener’s books tell of people who cannot flourish without using the land and its products, but it’s difficult for them to find the balance in the struggle to make the land fruitful without ruining it. In The Source, he tells of the transformation of a promised land into a desert. The farmers in Centennial subject their fields to erosion, the cotton farmers in Texas don’t realize their deep wells deplete underground sources of water, and greed motivates hunters in Alaska.
