Hemi's Gift by TJ Corrigan Analysis Essay

The short story “Hemi’s gift” is about a female whose dad just died. She is on her way to Whangarei for her dad's tangi. While sitting in the bus, a Maori man named Hemi gets on the bus and sits beside the female. The female’s first impression of Hemi, negative as she hides and tries to avoid him sitting next to her. She portrays him as a crazy man who is disturbing the peace. When the bus stops at Kaiwaka, the female realizes she forgot her lighter. She asks Hemi for a lighter and he borrows it to her, and additionally, he also buys her food and takes good care of her. The protagonist realizes the ‘crazy’ man is a great person after all. 

Stereotypes are a perception of a particular group of people. One could describe them as images or cognitive schemes in our heads. They can be both positive and negative. They form a large part of our prejudices, which sometimes can result in racism. Regardless of the numerous opinions, we have of them, stereotypes are a natural part of human nature. When we meet new people, we automatically create an image of how they are, and how their manners are. These kinds of stereotypes take place in the short story “Hemi’s gift”. Thus this analytical essay will focus on the narrator who initiates the stereotypical situation. Moreover, the focus will be on the setting, the several conflicts, and the main theme. 

The story takes place in New Zealand, as multiple of its cities are mentioned. “The bus pulls into Auckland station”. It is also mentioned how the protagonist has been to the Logan Campbell Centre, which is located in Auckland as well. We are informed that the bus stops for a food and toilet break in the city of Kaiwaka. This part of the story is also the turning point because the protagonist recognizes that Hemi is a friendly and loving person. Kaiwaka is also known as “the little town of light” and thus one could say that Hemi brightened up the protagonist’s day while being in Kaiwaka. We also know that the protagonist is going to visit Whangarei for her father's tangi. While sitting in the bus, the protagonist realizes that Hemi is an actor from the movie “Once were warrior” which was released in 1994. Therefore the story could take place in any year from 1994 and up till now. The story takes place in few locations, such as Auckland, Kaiwaka, and the bus. The rest of the mentioned places are just mentioned by the characters. 

Throughout the story, the protagonist faces various conflicts. The main conflict is that the protagonist judges Hemi, before even getting to know him. The protagonist tries to avoid Hemi sitting next to her, as she hides from him. “I shrink into my seat and look away, hoping he’ll sit somewhere else.” The protagonist sees Hemi as a crazy person who is disturbing the peace in the bus. “The bus is permeated by a tense silence that doesn’t seem to register with crazy man.” We get to see the protagonist's judgemental and negative description of Hemi. Afterwards, the protagonist realizes she was wrong about Hemi being crazy and it was just a stereotype she formed about him. “I am humbled by this man willing to give a stranger food and company and ask for nothing in return.” The quote illustrates how kindhearted of a man Hemi is, and how wrongful her judgment was. 

The inner conflict is a conflict that occurs within the protagonist's mind. In this case, her inner conflict is that while smoking she gets lost in her thoughts, and remembers her late father's disappointment when he caught her smoking with her friends. “I remember Dad snapping me and my friend smoking cigarettes in the woodshed (...) Furthermore, she regrets not opening her father's email, as well as not hearing the “cringe” loving words from him.“(...) all that bullshit every kid secretly longs to hear but cringes when they actually do?”. All of these heavy thoughts are running through the protagonist’s mind. 

The outer conflict is that the protagonist is ashamed of being brown, as well as being associated with Hemi who is brown as well. This episode takes place when a Pakeha couple, shift their attention to Hemi who is singing and disturbing the silence in the bus.”Up front, a Pakeha couple turn around and look back at the noise he’s making (..) That look was exactly why I didn’t want him sitting near me”. The protagonist is embarrassed by her skin color. She seeks some kind of acceptance from the Pakeha people.

The main theme is stereotypes and prejudice. The protagonist judges Hemi by his looks, and not by his actions. At first, she saw him as a disturbing crazy man, but in Kaiwaka she admits that she is humbled by his hospitality as he buys her food and treats her well. The prejudice also takes place when the Pakeha couple looks at the protagonist and Hemi sitting together. The protagonist was ashamed of being associated with a fellow brown person when the Pakeha couple looked at her. The clear message in this short story is the famous saying “do not judge a book by its cover”, which means that you should not judge a person based on their appearance. 

In conclusion, the story takes place in New Zealand, primarily on the bus ride from Auckland to Whangarei. The main theme is stereotypes, because the protagonist judges Hemi by his looks, and not by the content of his character. Later on, she realizes her judgment was wrong, and that he was a caring person. The protagonist encounters numerous conflicts. The inner conflict was the regret of not telling her late father she needed to hear the “cringe” but loving words from him, as well as the disappointment on her father's face she pictured while smoking cigarettes. The outer conflict is that the protagonist is not comfortable with the color of her skin, and does not wish to be associated with her kind, as seen when the Pakeha couple looks at her.