Whale Rider Analysis
Whale Rider Analysis Most heroes are big strong men, or mythical creatures that have thousands of stories and tales written about them. This hero is an unlikely one, a small girl, from a small tribe, in a small village in New Zealand. Paikea is a small girl that is 13 years old, and is a direct descendant of Paikea, the original whale rider. On her journey to become the leader of the tribe, she comes across numerous amounts of challenges from her grandfather, Koro. In the Paikea tribe, only the first-born son should be the leader of the tribe, which proves difficult for Paikea, since she is a female. Her journey begins when she does not even know anything about becoming leader; she is living a normal life, doing her school work and living with her grandparents. At school, she is the most interested in Paikea culture and origins, unlike the other boys. Eventually, her birthfather, Porourangi, comes back and describes his current situation in life; how he lives in Germany and has a great life with a new woman, who is pregnant. This upsets Paikea’s grandfather who out of anger says that he does not need Paikea, and that she is just a hassle. She leaves with her father, but on their way to the airport, she suddenly decides to turn around and return to her grandparents, for she cannot leave them. When she returns, her grandfather acts as if nothing has happened, and focuses more on the task at hand, finding somebody to lead the tribe. Her father refuses leadership, and returns to Germany, but Paikea is interested, even though she is a female and it goes against all tradition. Her grandfather, who is her Herald in a way, condemns her for issues within the tribe. Eventually, he begins teaching classes that teach the young boys how to act like true tribesmen. Paikea is interested, but she cannot join since she is a girl. Instead, she spies on them and does everything the class does, except by herself. She rises to her grandfather’s disapproval and even