Issues of The Whale Rider

The Whale Rider is a moving story that covers so many issues. First there is the most obvious relationship between Paikea and her grandfather, Koro. He does love her, which is apparent through his diligent care for her in giving her a ride to and from school. I think that a lot of people can identify with Paikea in her efforts to receive approval from her grandfather. Paikea is so meticulous in her tribal dances and schoolwork, seeking to prove to Koro that she is worth something, despite the fact that she is not the boy he wanted. So many people are unhappy because they do not feel that they have received the approval of a parent or role model. This is such an important issue in the low self-esteem of a lot of adolescence today. As we grow older, hopefully people can learn that the only person you really need to please is yourself. To depend on others for your happiness is dangerous.

An even greater issue is the gender roles that the community put on girls. The grandmother played the role, but she was not submissive like a wife is expected. She said that she let Koro think that he was in charge, but really it was she that had the control over the things that matter. However, I thought it was interesting that she kept saying she was going to get a divorce some day, though we know she probably never will. While she gets frustrated with Koro because he is so stuck in his ways, she also respects him for his strong belief and sense of duty.

The movie also touches on the issue of dying tribal culture. This greatly troubles Koro, as well as Paikea. I think that the whales beaching was a really cool way to symbolize the dying culture, and then that Paikea saved the whales, symbolizing her saving the tribal culture. I don’t think that it’s so much that Paikea is a “chosen one” but rather that she possessed the courage and strength that the others had forgotten. She gained her love for the culture through Koro. It is the people that keep a culture alive; Paikea was able to unite the family and the community again, which is what is necessary for the culture to survive.