Similarly, Evotia, the troubled and misunderstood daughter in Fresh Off the Boat, does not find peace within herself until she learns from her uncle the Samoan traditions her mother was reluctant to teach her. While these traditions are not shown to offer any universal solutions to life’s problems, they give Evotia a sense of belonging that she did not have before. In contrast, however, uncle Charles insists right from his first arrival in New Zealand that things should always be done the Samoan way, effectively ostracising himself from his sister and her boyfriend in his staunch adherence to certain patriarchal traditions. Rather than strengthening his position in the family and the community, he makes himself an outsider,  albeit an outsider who is able to teach Evotia something she finds valuable.

    In these Kightley plays, how individuals tailor traditions to suit their lives is shown to be more important that the traditions themselves. Vili, in A Frigate Bird Sings, is the most powerful example of this. The death of Vili’s mother leads the family to rely more heavily on his traditional duties as fa’afafine ^[i]. Their reliance on him is contrasted with their growing sense of unease that his role as fa’afafine is bringing ridicule to his family from those who do not understand the tradition. He must continue to do his duty to the family, they demand, but he must not be so obviously fa’afafine. But Vili refuses to allow his life to be dictated by others and sets out to redefine his role, gaining strength from other fa’afafine he meets. At the beginning of the play he sees himself as a reluctant role model and an embarrassment (1), but by the end he defines himself defiantly as “son and daughter... brother and sister... fa’afafine” (53). He has rejected hypocrisy and ignores the opinions of others in his family.

    The focus in these plays is on the individuals. How well each character functions in his adopted homeland depends not on how strictly he or she adheres to transposed traditions, nor how readily he or she assumes the practices of the host culture. For Evotia, security and a sense of self are strengthened by an increased knowledge of Samoan traditions; for Vili, self-respect comes only after resistance to certain traditional expectations. Tradition remains of significance to Kightley’s characters, but it is tradition tailored to the needs of the individual.

    In Pule’s novels, to avoid self-destruction in the New Zealand setting, the Pacific Islander has only two choices: strict adherence to the traditions of the homeland, or acceptance of a liminal position that will make him/her aware of the flaws in both the host and the transposed cultures. Through the experiences of his characters it is made clear that strict adherence to traditions will provide a life restricted in its nature: the individual retains very little meaningful contact with the host culture. On the other hand, although it is shown that a life that denies the individual the constant support of his or her own Island community leads to increased instances of violence and drunkenness, those of a sensitive, artistic nature may succeed in finding a place where they can develop as individuals. Traditions, though redemptive, can lead to stagnation, as they are inappropriate in the new land.

    When describing life in Niue, the narrators in Pule’s novels weave legends and myths. For those no longer living there, Niue is depicted as a powerful force of nature which can be profoundly disturbing, one that can kill those who return (Burn My Head in Heaven 263). In this sense, some of Pule’s characters seem to accept that Niuean traditions are better remembered than lived by, best treated in the same way as one might treat an antique. Those who adhere to the old traditions become antiques themselves; yet those who flaunt traditions are liable to become debauched unless they have the strength and sensitivity to both understand the old traditions and seek out their own space in the new homeland. Traditions can provide protection against the aggressive intrusion of the host culture; however, when strictly adhered to, they can hinder a quest for a constructive personal place within that culture.