English Essay

   Hunt for the Wilderpeople Essay

Ricky Baker, a juvenile delinquent who was abandoned by his mother, is sent to live with foster aunt Bella Faulkner and her husband, the cantankerous southern man Hec, on a rural farm by child welfare services officer Paula and police officer Andy. Hec is distant, but Bella gradually penetrates Ricky's guarded shell by bringing him hunting and surprising him with a puppy for his 13th birthday.Tupac is named after his hero Tupac Shakur.

Ricky ineptly fakes his suicide by burning a barn and running away into the bush with Tupac, where he is absolutely unable to cope and becomes lost when Bella suddenly dies and Hec warns Ricky that child services will take him back.Hec easily locates him, but in a fall, he breaks his ankle, causing the two to set up camp for a while. Meanwhile, officials have discovered the home unoccupied and the barn burned down, leading them to believe that Ricky was stolen by the heartbroken and mentally ill Hec. After an interaction with three dumb hunters (Joe, Ron, and Hugh), who believe Hec is assaulting Ricky, the perception is reinforced. Hec admits to Ricky that he is illiterate and has served time in prison for manslaughter.Ricky, in turn, says his only friend in foster care has died and that his only options are risking the same fate in the foster system, or serving time in juvenile prison. The pair agree to disappear into the bush.

A nationwide manhunt starts, and the two grow closer as they work together to avoid arrest. They come into an unconscious diabetic ranger while looking for another shelter. Ricky sets off in search of assistance and meets Kahu, a girl his age. She returns to her home and introduces him to her father. Ricky spends the night in the hut where Hec was meant to be and returns the next morning. Ricky discovers a swarm of police, lead by Paula, swarming the area. Ricky flees the scene. Later, in the bush, he runs into Paula and Andy, who are separated by a ditch. Paula tries to pay Ricky by requesting that he declare Hec was a sex offender. In exchange, she promises him that he will never be sent to a juvenile detention centre. Ricky declines and flees. Ricky is able to catch up to Hec by recalling his survival strategies.Hec's dog Zag is mortally wounded by a wild boar, causing Hec to euthanize him. Ricky discloses that he has been carrying Bella's ashes and that he had intended to scatter them "where the earth wets the robe of the sky," as she had requested. They bury Zag and disperse Bella's ashes in a secluded mountain range waterfall. Ricky and Hec come upon a man named Psycho Sam who is living on his own.. Sam lets them stay the night. After five months of surviving in the wilderness and several close calls, they are finally caught following a car and helicopter chase, and Ricky accidentally shoots Hec. Hec gets remanded and Ricky is taken in by Kahu's family.