Northwind

Leif encounters many animals on his journey northward, but his experiences with the whales have a particularly powerful effect on him. Orca whales are the first animals Leif meets after escaping the island. Weak and helpless inside the canoe, Leif observes two orcas playing with his vessel, bouncing it back and forth as if it were a ball. The playfulness of the gesture is juxtaposed with the horror happening inside the canoe as the boys lay in the waste of their illness, Little Carl slipping into death. The orcas’ behavior prompts the mother whale to nudge the canoe to shore, which saves Leif’s life and allows him to properly bury Little Carl. Having always identified orcas by their other name, “killers,” Leif is baffled by the gentle behavior of these creatures, and this moment becomes the first in many lessons for him about the complexities of the natural world. The second time Leif encounters whales, he observes them rolling through shallow pebble-filled shorelines in what he assumes is a cleaning ritual. He notices how the older whales “teach” the younger calves the process and marvels at the intelligence of these creatures. Another time, Leif witnesses the whales’ hunting ritual, in which they create bubble walls to trap salmon; the sight is transfixing, and nature’s acuity and power astound him. Learning from the whales, Leif resolves never to hunt for food in such a violent way; however, he admires their process and commitment to success. Leif incorporates his observations of the whales into his own identity: “He took purpose from the whales” (96). Drawing on this newfound purpose, Leif perfects his fishing and food preservation techniques so that he never runs out of food and must hunt only from desperation.

The whales come and go but, aside from the birds, are Leif’s most constant companions; accordingly, he develops a close connection to them, and they become like family. One whale comes so close that Leif can reach him; after resisting the temptation for a time, Leif succumbs and strokes the whale’s fin. The moment profoundly affects him, and he feels that he will remember the whale forever. However, it is a gray whale that Leif comes to love most, as he imagines that it embodies his dead mother’s spirit and is there to guide him. He names the whale Grace, after the old woman who cared for him, and he mourns deeply when the whale moves on: “[T]he whale made him deeply sad and in some way gently happy at the same time. Gave him a memory of something that never existed” (200). The gray whale symbolizes Leif’s primal desire for maternal love, and though his connection to the whale forces him to grieve another loss, Leif is also joyful to add another memory to his story. Its departure reminds him of the duality of nature in its ability to both give and take away.

When Leif drifts into the ice wall fjord, he has his final encounter with the whales, a transcendent experience that equally thrills and terrifies him. Scores of whales carry out the feeding ritual, and Leif is caught in the maelstrom of breaching and diving whales, helpless to escape. However, unlike his first encounter, Leif rescues himself, paddling to the shore before being sunk by what he calls “the whale dance.” Throughout the narrative, whales are comforters and teachers for Leif; in this final animal encounter in the story, the whales evoke wonder and awe at the power of nature. With their immense size, graceful movement, and mysterious sonorous soundings, whales are some of the most fascinating creatures in the sea. Through his close encounters with these creatures, Leif gains a new appreciation for the wonders of the natural world, and their rituals inspire him to continue his quest.