Only a handful of Americans in Melvilles time were lucky enough to venture far and wide enough to see places like Polynesia, and Melville took great advantage of his time on the French-controlled islands, eventually turning the experience into his very first book. Throughout the trip, Melville was accompanied by his close friend Richard Tobias Greene, and Melville focused on simply enjoying himself in the exotic lands, living for three weeks among the natives of Typee, who lived primitively in pointed huts made of animal skins. The dwellings closely resembled those of the Native Americans, and for Melville, living among the reportedly cannibalistic people was a romantic adventure. Though it easily could have turned into a dangerous and inhospitable outing, Melville saw the trip as a getaway from the hustle-bustle of life in New York.
