Potiki - Is Toko Maui? :: essays research papers fc

She blew his mouth and nostrils, and with two fingers lightly massaged his pectus until the mucus began to drain freely. She took a pendant from her ear and put it on the blanket beside him. Tokowaru-i-te-Marama. Ko Tokowaru-i-te-Marama te ingoa o tenei, she said. (Grace 36)The passage above comes from the deem Potiki. Its when granny Tamihana breathes life into Toko and gives him the name of her deceased brother. In Potiki, a novel written by Patricia Grace, we are introduced to a family that is given a special gift. That gift is in a form of a small fry named Toko. Toko isnt any ordinary child for he knows all his then(prenominal) stories and has the ability to see future stories. Toko was born by Mary and is cared for by Marys brother Hemi and his wife Roimata. In yet other novel, there is a strong presence of mythological icons being structured into a book. Grace ties the invention of Maui into the character of Toko. Toko and Maui were both born prematurely. another(preno minal) correspondentity Grace ties in with the legend of Maui is the seek story. Maui goes out look for with his brothers and brags that hell catch a bigger fish than his brothers and Tokos fishing with his family in the lagoon and catches a big eel. Lastly, Grace links the legend of Mauis wipeout to Tokos death. In Potiki, Toko enters the wharenui to bring back Manu who was sleepwalking. preferably a gunshot was heard and Toko was killed. In the legend of Maui, Maui tried to subdue death by trying to crawl into the death goddess hidden lineage of life to capture her heart. A bird laughs, which woke the death goddess and closed her mouth. The teeth of the death goddess cut Maui in the center and killed him. According to Westervelt, Maui may soaked to live, to subsists, and may refer to beauty and strength, or it may have the paper of the left hand or turning aside. (1) In Potiki, Grace ties in the meaning of Maui to the character Toko. In what way is the birth of Toko and M aui similar and its relationship with Westervelts definition of Maui? How is Tokos fishing story similar with the legend of Maui pulling the island of New Zealand and its relationship with Westervelts definition of Maui? How is the death of Toko similar to the way Maui dies and how it relates to the definition of Maui?