Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Whale Rider, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humans and Nature
Maori Identity
Gender and Power
Familial Love
Summary
Analysis
After migrating across the Southern Ocean to their breeding grounds, a herd of whales sings songs and waits for its young to grow. An ancient bull whale remembers how, when he was young, a group of sharks killed his mother. A flute-playing human took him in, becoming his master. The whale remembers hearing the human’s songs, approaching him, and embracing him. He lets out a nostalgic cry. This scares the women of the herd, who know he’s thinking about returning to New Zealand.
Ihimaera now reconsiders the whale rider legend from the perspective of the whale, who will turn out to play a crucial role in the novel. Indeed, each section (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) starts with a chapter on the whale and his herd, which will eventually cross paths with the book’s human protagonists. By narrating from the whales’ perspective, Ihimaera reminds his readers that humankind’s inability to communicate with animals doesn't mean that animals don’t have rich, internal lives. Indeed, the whale’s tragic nostalgia for Paikea reflects how, over the centuries, humans have lost their special bond with animals (and nature as a whole). And in addition to bridging the human and animal worlds, the whale also bridges the contemporary world with the world of ancient legend. By establishing this connection, Ihimaera asks his readers to take the traditional Maori worldview seriously and see such legends not as mere fictional parables but as actual historical fact.
Themes
