Whale symbolism
The meaning of whales is very important to the Maori people, and they symbolize life. It is with the great whale and the whale rider that their ancestors came to New Zealand, settled and built life there.
The title
The title of the movie is symbolic because it refers to Pai’s life and her destiny as the whale rider. Whale riders are the chosen ones from the tribe of Maori people who are meant to be leaders. The ending shows that Pai is meant to be the leader despite her grandfather’s efforts to prevent her, by riding the largest whale back into the ocean, with the rest of the pod following.
Gender and leadership
In their tradition of whale riders, there was always the male leader and whale rider. Pai comes as an exception, as her twin brother dies at birth. She continuously proves to be the right one for the task, accomplishing all the tests that the boys who are training are unable to, but her grandfather refuses to see it, blinded by their traditional ways and male leaderships.
The end
The end shows Pai’s final effort and sacrifice to prove herself as the rightful leader and whale rider. She risks her life to save the beached whales by getting on top of the largest one. All the whales follow her into the ocean. This scene is symbolic because it finally diminishes any doubt that Pai is the whale rider.
