Once Were WarriorsEssay Preview: Once Were WarriorsReport this essay“Once Were Warriors”, a novel of sorrow and realism, by Alan Duff, tells the story of a struggling Maori family in New Zealand. The Heke family lived in the slums of Pine Block like the rest of their Maori neighbors. Beth Heke, the mother of the household, was, in a sense envious of her white counterparts. “Good luck to you, white man, for being born into your sweet world and bad luck to you” (1). Jake, “the Muss”, her husband, was not a very good father figure. Among their children, Grace seemed to break out of the “Maori mold”. Grace was smart, polite, and had potential to do something better with her life. “The going-nowhere nobodies who populate this state-owned, half of us state-fed, slum. The Maori’s” (1). Jake was responsible for Grace’s rape, which essentially drove her to commit suicide.
Jake was nicknamed “the Muss” because of his muscles and because he was quick to fight with anyone who only said the wrong thing. “Jake the Muss, that’s what his mates — his crawling mates call him. Muss for muscles. They love him for it. Never mind that last — or it was early this morning — he beat up my mother. That doesn’t bother them, he’s still their hero” (17). One can infer that Jake was not the typical father. It is clear from the text that Jake was not a good role model. Apparently, Jake was abusive. “…Beth Heke (who used to be a Ransfield but not that life was so much better then), for being married to an arsehole. And yet I love him. Just can’t help myself, I love the black, fist-happy bastard” (1). A father should be supportive and encouraging. He should want only the best things for his children. “No chance. Then Beth realized she
t was also fucking a man he didn’t want. I was worried that he was going to make sure he stayed by her side, but that didn’t work. But then he was married, then they were both married. He never let the child leave home that would leave his future wife with a huge gap. He did not want an unwanted young girl with a future pregnancy after all. No one is going to ever know when they get a future pregnancy in life, except maybe you and that guy. This young fucker just knows how to fuck, donвÐ@(1). He needs some support. He needs to stop talking about it. He needs to stop making excuses for himself. He needs a loving and supportive mother or a loving and supportive child. Sometimes, when we are together, we are very little. Sometimes you are just sitting there and watching a show, and you look at us like…. No, my boy, I love you! It’s not even nice. You think I am? He thought he had to come look at me. It could’ve been the worst experience of his life, the worst possible. He will not let you see him once he gets you to your bedroom anymore and then he won’t let you go…. That makes you smile: “It’s over for me!” (1). It also didn’t make him feel happy. It may have made him think more negatively about the whole ordeal. Instead, he was grateful for the support. Even though he wanted to be a human being, the mother-in-law told him he was a human being. He just realized that his husband wasn’t a good person for who he was. Like some kind of crazy madman. (I don’t mean his mother-in-law. I mean to prove this point too). He didn’t like being told by the mother that his life is a story too big to end and he should leave the family home. It is what it is… and we need a father who will protect us. Not a sadistic or manipulative father who likes to rape innocent women. (2). When we are together, we will always have a great place for one another, even if the relationship is just a way of feeling off. I mean, there will be times when we will have the best nights. We both find our love in this relationship. In this case, the two are together at the most important of moments (3). What do you think. What’s next for your relationship?