Characters as metaphors for nations

Question from the floor: talk more about this. So let's start with a really explicitly stated one, on p. 136: "America is the Paul Jones of nations." What is Paul Jones like? A "democratic sea-king" (102), which is itself contradictory: how can you be a king and be democratic at the same time? What's kinglike about him: he assumes absolute command, shows no quarter to enemies, yet upholds principles of honor (i.e. returning the silver plate). What's democratic about him: he values people according to their ability, not their birth (so he makes Israel his quarter-master, effectively an instant officer, when he sees his skills). But that's just for starters.

To the extent that JPJ's qualities are lent to "democracy" as an idea, what do we make of his being portrayed as a "bloody cannibal" (103), an Indian (63, 64, 118), and as a tattooed "savage" (69) who may hail from the South Seas or anywhere? To get to the bottom of this, you have to then decide whether cannibal/savage barbarian are admirable traits, or not. On 132, the narrator gives a philosophical aside asking whether civilized countries might not be barbaric, in that they wage (arguably) senseless war on each other. But I would suggest that there are many places in the novel in which being "barbaric" or "savage" seems to be a necessary or natural energy--one that "civilization" could use more of. Civilization and barbarism form a dyad: you can't define one without reference to the other.