Modernization and Colonial Violence
“Journey” follows the thoughts of a 71-year-old Māori man as he reckons with the modern development projects that white New Zealanders are bringing to the area where his family has lived for generations. The story occurs over the course of one day, as the narrator travels into the city to meet with planners about the future of the land his family owns. At the beginning of the trip, the narrator’s observations suggest that modern development…
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Land and Culture
In “Journey,” Patricia Grace depicts two very different cultural relationships to land. As the narrator travels into the city from the land where his family has lived for generations, he observes how white New Zealanders treat land: they see it as a resource to exploit for profit. By contrast, informed by his Māori traditions, the narrator sees land as a living entity that has the capacity to care and be cared for. These two cultural…
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Heroism and Societal Inequality
In “Journey,” Patricia Grace plays with a common story-telling template: the hero’s quest. In this narrative tradition, a protagonist, often male, leaves home on an adventure, acts decisively in a conflict, and returns home victorious and changed. In the beginning of the story, the narrator —an unnamed old man—seems to conform to the role of hero, going on an adventure into the city to have an important meeting with city officials. However, as the story…
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The Individual vs. the Collective
In the beginning of “Journey,” the unnamed narrator emphasizes the power of the individual. Free from his nagging family members on his solo trip into the city, he believes he will succeed where others in his family have failed and will be able to convince the city planners to let his family subdivide the land they have lived on for generations. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes obvious that the narrator values the collective…
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Aging
Told from the point of view of a 71-year-old man, “Journey” explores the theme of aging. Throughout the story, the narrator must navigate a world that discriminates against him because of his age. At first, he resists this ageism, displaying fierce self-confidence as he travels into the city to attend a meeting about the future of his land. However, after the city appropriates his land, preventing the narrator from leaving a legacy for his family…
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