Whale Rider is the story of a young girl, Paikea, who has found her destiny following in the footsteps of her ancestors to be the chief of the tribe; these chiefs have always been men, and Paikea is put to the test to see if she is able to fulfill this position. This long line of chiefs have all experienced ‘The Hero’s Journey,’ the adventure that consists of the stages one must go through to become a hero. In Niki Caro’s Whale Rider, Paikea transforms from a young girl to the chief of the tribe when she walks down the beach and decides to climb onto the back of the whale, because she is accepting her destiny as the chosen one of the family, and despite the fact that she is struggling through this experience, she is still stepping up to the plate and willing to do this for her family which is what makes her a recognizable hero.
Paikea’s journey as a hero began because originally, she was born as a twin. Her twin was meant to become the next chief of the tribe, but he died at birth and took her mother with him. However, her grandfather only wanted to have a grandson, telling his family, “Things began to go wrong for us when she was born.” His indignant feelings, being in the way of how Paikea was raised, brought the stages of a hero’s journey upon her without her own knowledge. The outcome of this was that Pai was raised like a boy.
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The resilience to strive through these challenging circumstances contributes to Pai’s larger journey in a major way, because it shows her true characteristics. Although we do not know Pai, what she has done creates a high respect level for her and allows us to feel connected to her character. The meaning of her journey is discovered because of Pai’s ability to change her grandfather’s opinions, all in the purpose of leading her