The Whale Rider: Key Quotations (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature): Revision Note

When you answer any question on The Whale Rider, remember that the examiners are looking for you to support your points with references. You can evidence your knowledge of the text in two equally valid ways: both through references to it and direct quotations from it. Overall, you should aim to secure a strong knowledge of Ihimaera’s novel, as this is how you will be able to select references effectively.

The best way to revise for this question is to group evidence (or key quotes) by character or theme, so you can see the development of Ihimaera’s ideas. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following themes:

• Humans and nature 

• Culture and identity

• Tradition vs modernity

• Family bonds

Humans and nature

Ihimaera shows how the humans and whales communicate throughout the parallel narratives. Poetic language and repetition of important Māori phrases highlight the novel’s focus on humanity’s ancient spiritual bond with the natural world.

Meaning and context

• The narrator illustrates, through the Māori creation story, that nature and humans are meant to work together, and that without humans, nature is lonely

• This advocates for a revival of the traditional, spiritual bond between the two 

Analysis 

• As this line begins the novel, the natural world and humanity’s relationship with it is immediately established as a predominant theme

• Ihimaera uses elevated language in his narration that tells of the Māori traditions 

• Here, the comparative adjective “great” emphasises the metaphorical “emptiness” or loneliness felt by the natural world before humans

• The desperation for a partnership between humans and nature is described with the emotive term “yearning” 

Meaning and context

• In the rising action, Koro Apirana (the chief of Whangara) warns his students about the important connection with nature that has been lost due to man’s vanity

• But the resolution promises mutual harmony between humanity and nature when whales and humans are reconciled by Kahu’s rescue of the beached pod 

Analysis

• Koro’s dialogue is made more significant with metaphorical language 

• The image of a “wedge” forced into a circle of “oneness” emphasises the violent, physical separation between humans and nature

• Through the italicised narration of the whale story, Ihimaera presents the spirituality of nature, emphasised by metaphorical imagery (“diamond spray”)

Culture and identity 

Ihimaera describes the tension arising in the Apirana family as ancient cultural traditions clash with an individual’s desire to be independent. Ihimaera encourages communities to find a shared philosophy about their part in the natural world, rather than focusing on traditional and rigid customs.  

Meaning and context

• When Rawiri travels away from his village, he finds himself in Papua New Guinea with his friend, Jeff, and his family’s plantation

• This line explains how Rawiri believes Jeff’s mother, Clara, thinks he is “too” dark-skinned, even though Jeff has explained he is Māori

Analysis 

• The novel also explores cultural identity outside of the Māori village

• Rawiri’s experience of racism on a colonial plantation illustrates embedded cultural bias

Meaning and context

• The beginning of the novel tells the story of the whale rider Kahuti Te Rangi

• The line describes the whale rider’s spear that still flies, waiting for its time

• Later, Rawiri describes Kahu entering the sea to save the beached whales

• He links her to the Māori whale rider by describing rain like “spears”

Analysis

• Ihimaera immediately raises the profile of the Māori culture by beginning with the story of the original Māori whale rider

• Personification of the spear emphasises the spiritual nature of Māori culture

• Ihimaera foreshadows Kahu’s legacy as the new whale rider when Rawiri compares the rain to spears

• The metaphorical language presents the Māoris’ cultural connection with nature, and shows nature as powerful 

Tradition and modernity 

Ihimaera portrays the challenges of maintaining ancient traditions in a modern world, especially one that advocates for individualism and convenience over community and discipline. However, The Whale Rider’s resolution is hopeful, in that it encourages paying attention to spiritual beliefs and adopting a tolerant approach to change. 

Meaning and context

• Rawiri describes Koro Apirana as stuck in tradition and unfamiliar with the modern world, but that his knowledge of Māori culture is significant 

• Later, Rawiri describes the ancient bull whale that returns to Whangara to find its rider, bringing the past into the present:

  • The image of the whale filling the air with song connotes hope 

Analysis

• The simile comparing Koro to an old whale represents his age and wisdom:

  • The metaphorical “stranded” portrays him as stuck in the past

  • The adjective “alien” reflects Koro’s unfamiliarity with the modern world 

  • But the metaphorical “tides” connotes to natural change and Koro’s role in the future of the tribe

• The past and present are linked by the image of the ancient whale “filling” the environment with its song, or tradition

Meaning and context

• When Kahu rides the bull whale, he believes she is Paikea and he swims deep below the surface

• The mother whale urges the bull whale to take Kahu to the surface, that Kahu is not his original whale rider

• This brings him out of the past (his “nostalgia”) and into immediate events which will affect the world

Analysis

• Ihimaera’s presentation of Koro and the bull whale is comparable:

  • When they are too caught up in the past, they pose a threat to the present

  • When their female partners encourage them to progress and focus on the present, they find redemption 

• The word “nostalgia” is a sympathetic reference to the bull whale’s desire for oneness between humans and nature, something Koro feels too

Family bond 

The idea of “oneness” with the natural world is extended to the Apirana family. The novel illustrates how, whether old and young, female or male, family harmony can be found through patience and respect. Ihimaera suggests that, while the older generation offers important wisdom, if it is too resistant to change the family unit can be damaged. 

Meaning and context

• The birth of the chief’s grandchild is a significant event in the village: 

  • Nanny Flowers and Rehua (Kahu’s mother) wish to name Kahu in honour of Porourangi’s ancestor, Kahuti Te Rangi

• Kahu’s umbilical cord is buried in a sacred place: a symbol of her destined place in the Apirana family

• Later, this is linked to the flying spear from the original whale rider:

  • This presents her as a worthy successor to her grandfather and father 

Analysis 

• Ihimaeara immediately foreshadows family conflict by portraying the problems connected with the birth of Kahu, a girl successor rather than a boy:

  • Kahu’s birth is connected to family ancestors by name, foreshadowing her prominent place in the family

• Ihimaera continually links the spear that is still flying as it waits for a worthy heir to emphasise tensions in the family: 

  • The symbolic “birth cord” foreshadows her significance in reconciling the family

Meaning and context

• Nanny Flowers uses a Māori expression of annoyance, “paka”, a derogatory term, that shows their tense relationship

• Rawiri relates the close bond between Nanny Flowers and Koro despite their disagreements

Analysis 

• Nanny Flowers’ insults represent her as a strong and independent woman, a fierce rival to her husband despite their deep love

• The insult is described as an “affectionate” way to express her love, which shows the eternal nature of their conflicted marriage