Traveler or Colonist

Mosquito Coast
In The Mosquito Coast, Allie is disillusioned and disgusted with American society, so he removes himself and his family from it. He travels to Honduras in search of a better life and a new center. He seems to be on a search for something more authentic than the consumerism he loathes in America. In this way, he is like Port and Kit in The Sheltering Sky. They are alienated from post-war American society and travel to Africa in hopes of finding a more authentic life. Just as Port seems to believe that he is superior to most Americans who venture to other countries because they are tourists and he is a traveler, Allie believes his willingness to travel to an unknown place makes him better. He thinks that everyone should be willing to give up the life they have in America in favor of one away from the evils of capitalism and greed.

Allie is very closed minded in his view of America. He seems unable to except that some pieces of American society may be good. Yet at the same time, he seems bent on bringing civilization and modernization to Honduras. He is similar to the colonists in Heart of Darkness, who are determined to improve Africa. However, his reasons for going to Honduras and “improving” conditions there seem less about generating wealth and more about a personal cause. It is ironic though that he goes to create an anti-American paradise, but he brings with him inventions from America and tries to make his new home more suitable for human inhabitants.