Sully tries very hard to fit in with society. Sully is told he will never fit in because he betrayed the Na’vi. So Sully tries almost harder to fit in, Almost too hard. Which ends up hurting him. Because Sully is not a true Na’vi, the Na’vi don’t trust him. When he is finally respected and trusted by the natives is when he rides the Toruk.
The Toruk is a sacred bird to the Na’vi. The Toruk is a large orange flying animal. Those who can tame a Toruk are thought to be leaders. This scene happens right as Sully is rallying the natives against the humans.
Now lets look at this from out point of view, Sully is a dumb military grunt just doing what he is told. He gets into the machine and transforms into a Na’vi. Neytiri, at first, wants nothing to do with Sully. But when the Mother Tree signals Neytiri that Sully is special, she helps Sully gain a perspective of the Na’vi people. She trains him into the culture and lifestyle of the Na’vi people. Sully is the ‘White Savior’ of the Na’vi people. Once he learns the culture and lifestyle of the Na’vi, he becomes sympathetic towards the Na’vi. He realizes that he needs to save them from their impending doom.
When Sully arrives with the Toruk, the people of the Na’vi realize that he is someone they need. With the help of Mother Tree, Sully does rally many of the natives from surrounding areas of Pandora. As the humans finally attack, Sully leads the natives in battle. He helps with the strategy of the attack. Since he is an insider working against them, he knows how the humans will attack. As the battle goes on, Sully is seen doing many heroic things against the humans. After the battle the Na’vi people hold a ceremony for Sully to transform him into a permanent Na’vi.
So in the end, Sully (the white man) has his views on the natives changed, tries to become one of them, fails, then tames the most ferocious beasts on Pandora, gains the respect of the Na’vi, rallies other natives, attacks his own kind, then becomes a Na’vi. This is the ‘White mans burden’. He is the savior of the Na’vi people. He is just a random white guy. Who can’t use his legs as a human. But he saves them and they all live happily ever after. Which is good. But maybe they should make a movie about a native coming into white society and saving us, from ourselves! Just a thought.