Structure

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Beginning

“The Whale” begins by introducing readers to the setting and main character:  “He sits, this old kaumatua, in the darkness of the meeting house. He has come to this place because it is the only thing remaining in his dying world.” (ll. 1-2) We find out the story follows an old man in a meeting house (a cultural centre and sacred meeting place for a Maori community). The Maori word ‘kaumatua’ which means ‘elder’ is a foreshadowing element that the story is set in New Zealand and explores Maori culture.

At the same time, the reference to a ‘dying world’ functions as a nar…

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Middle

The middle of a story typically comprises the rising action which leads to a point of high tension, the climax. However, “The Whale” does not respect this structure; instead, it is a series of different non-chronological memories mixed with the old man’s observations of the present.

The first important memory is that of the man’s relationship with his niece, a sub-narrative which has its own structure. This memory is introduced through a flashback: “ ‘Hera, don’t you be too sad when I’m gone. If you are, you come to this meeting house. I’ll be here, Hera.’ […] He’d told her that when she was a little girl” (ll. 35-38). The man recalls telling his niece to prepare for his death. From here on, the character shares past events involving Hera and how he thought she would be a keeper of Maori culture. Key symbolic elements for the plo…

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Ending

The ending of the story returns to the present, where the man leaves the meeting house and heads towards home: “He walks along the dusty road, through the village. The houses are clustered close together. A truck speeds past him” (ll. 217-218). His walk back home functions as the falling action, after the point of high tension which took place in the past and in his recollections.

On the way home, the man keeps asking himself where the blame lies for the death of Maori…