Sharks In The Time Of Saviors

The author uses the unusual behavior of animals to reveal Nainoa’s miraculous powers. The most prominent of these animals is the shark. For a shark, a ruthless killing machine, to show compassion for a child by returning him to his mother dramatically bends the natural order of things and creates the ultimate miracle. However, in the end, the shark turns out to be exactly what it appears to be—a cold-blooded predator incapable of showing compassion toward any other living creature. The legend that the family creates around the shark ends up devouring Nainoa, who cannot live up to the exalted expectations of being a savior.

The shark motif also links to the ancient Hawaiian gods. Malia refers to Ku, who she notes is both a god of war and a god of life. “Sometimes he came as a shark,” she says (68). She also mentions the ‘aumakua, which are “personal gods, deified ancestors who might assume the shape of sharks” (Wehewehe.org). These shape-shifting legends may explain why the shark incident makes Malia believe the gods sent Nainoa to save the family and Hawaiian culture.