A Theory; Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl. Flashback

"Once in a while you find yourself in an odd situation. you get into it by degrees and in the most natural way but, when you are right in the midst of it, you are suddenly astonished and ask yourself how in the world it all came about." I believe that this quote sets the scene for the entire book expressing how quickly Heyerdahl came to be on a raft in the middle of the Pacific.

Thor Heyerdahl, a learned man, set sail on a primitive raft to prove his theory on how the inhabitants of Polynesia came about. But what was his theory, and how did he develop it? Thor Heyerdahl spent time on the island of Fatu Kiva studying animals and listening to stories from an old man about an ancient god called Tiki. These stories sparked an interest in Heyerdahl about primitive peoples. Upon his return to Norway, Heyerdahl decided to give up his study of animals to pursue his interest in primitive peoples. From a Zoologist's standpoint, Heyerdahl knew that the Polynesian islands had never been connected due to a lack of common insects and snails between the isolated Polynesian islands. Heyerdahl theory stated that a group of people from South America sailed to and settled on the Polynesian islands.Heyerdahl researched and made excavations to prove his theory before WWII started, and his research was disrupted. After the war when his theory was complete, he decided to present it in America.

In this chapter of Kon-Tiki, Heyerdahl uses a flashback to recant the events that led to the development of his theory.