Avatar is the story of Jake a paraplegic Marine who takes a mission on the distant
planet of Pandora. There, he encounters the greedy Corporate Head Parker, who is intent
on driving off what he characterizes as the savage native humanoid Na’vi (who have
their own language and culture) in order to mine ‘unobtainium’, a precious substance
found in abundance under the Na’vi woodland. But the Na’vi “have a special connection
to the land, a land which contains a living entity resembling a brain ( Eywa ) and so
refuse to leave. Into this tense standoff arrives Jake who in exchange for spinal surgery,
agrees to gather intel for the military while infiltrating the Na’vi people in his avatar
body. In the process, he bonds with the native tribe and ultimately falls in love with the
alien Neytiri. The final decision to move forward with the extermination of the Na’vi
forces Jake to choose sides and along with the Na’vi joins in the final epic battle for
control of Pandora . At the climax of the film, the viewer is emotionally hard pressed not
to take the side of nature in its battle against the destructive forces of human civilization.
To all intents and purposes, Avatar is essentially a direct remake of Pocohontas set in
another time and space. Similar to the Avatar Corporation, the European settlers in
Pocohontas , only interested in what they could take from the land for profit, disregarded
the natives in their search for gold, also characterizing them as savages who “are different
from us and can’t be trusted.” Jake’s journey of transformation throughout the course of
the movie mirrors many course themes thus making it an ideal movie to review in this
context.
The strong environmental message ( theme ) in Avitar is ever present. Bron
Taylor, who writes extensively on nature spirituality states that, “the heart of dark green
religion is to be found in the belief that everything in the biosphere is inter-dependent,
intrinsically valuable and sacred” (Taylor, p. 102). James Cameron, a self-proclaimed
radical environmentalist (who wrote and directed the film) made clear the connections to
dark green perspectives that existed at the core of his film when he stated that “Avatar
asks us to see that everything is connected, all human beings to each other, and us to the
earth and if you have to go four and a half light years to another made-up planet to
appreciate this miracle of the world we have right here, that’s the wonder of cinema…
that’s the magic” (Taylor Supplementary Materials).
Also evident is what Lovelock (1979) refers to as Gaia, a concept that states that
the earth (biosphere) is a self-regulating living entity in its own right. During his
evolution throughout the movie, Jake comes to a deeper understanding of the Na’vi’s set
of nature beliefs and approaches what Lovelock refers to as Gaia, a concept of earth as a
self-regulating living entity in its own right. Doctor Grace tells Jake that Pandoran nature
is “a global network with more connections than the human brain” (Avatar, 2009).
Similar to the “Talking Tree”on Pandora, Gaia is represented by the deity Eywa which is
interconnected to all ‘things’ on the planet, and referencing the clock metaphor in
“Mindwalk” we see that one is unable to understand this whole by studying the individual
pieces ( synaptic connections ). Pocohontas also recognizes nature as living because she
is able to “feel” the spirit of her dead mother in the trees and wind; nature possesses all
the dead ancestors. This is mirrored byNeytiri when she says “ everything dead and alive
lives in Eywa.”She tells Jake that, “mother earth doesn’t take sides, but protects the
balance of life” (Avatar, 2009). Ultimately, we can see that Eywa hears Jake’s prayer for
help, and at the moment that human forces were about to crush the Na’vi in battle, Eywa
unleashes the power of nature against the Sky People in order to restore balance to the
planet. The lesson to be learned here is that if you work with nature, it in turn helps you.
Wilson (Biophilia) observed that the “human species has a natural love of life in
the biosphere” (Wilson). Jake in his attempts to be accepted by the Na’vi explained to
Neytiri that “you can’t help but fall in love with nature… I’m on your side” (Avatar,
2009). Even corporate Dr. Grace remarked “I’m trying to understand this deep
connection people have with the forest. However, Wilson also observed that when we
deprive ourselves from that type of exposure to nature, we become warped” (Wilson).
We need to look no further than Colonel Quaritch and Corporate Head Parker to see the
embodiment of this in the movie. As Neytiri tells jake: “Eywa will provide – if no home –
no hope” (Avatar, 2009).
Since the 1930’s, movies such as Snow White (1937), Bambi (1942), The Jungle
Book (1967), The Lion King (1994) and Pocahontas (1995) have presented an
“anthropomorphic and sentimental view of animals that has promoted human empathy
for non-humans organisms and often kinship feelings towards them” (p. 132). Avatar
(2009), the most recent expression of this cinematic theme takes it a step further in
exploring our relationship to “nature” as well as kinship to the humanoid Na’vi.
Thoreau (Walking) emphasizes the need to break from our daily lives and connect
with nature; i.e. to be observant and thoughtful of what is there in nature. When Jake’s
avatar first entered Pandora, he took a deep breath and dug his toes into the soil, an
instinctual response to his natural surroundings; a physical attempt to connect. However,
his initial experiences in the forest were disconnected and his first response was to fight
nature at every encounter, but over time Neytiri taught him to have more of an
appreciation for nature and he therefore learned to work with it.
Muir’s (High Sierra) speaks to our ‘intuitive’ connection with nature; a telepathy
he describes as ‘listening’ at a different level, an innate ability he believes animals
possess. Neytiri teaches Jake not to look the dragons in the eye. She is very
knowledgeable of the language of animals because due to the Na’vi heightened
awareness of nature. In attempting to ride a dragon, Jake quickly discovers that voice
commands do not work and only meets success when his intuitive bond is utilized. The
hair tentacle he uses to make a bond with the animals and ultimately the deity Eywa are
metaphors for our deep intuitive connection with nature. On another level, Jake
experiences great difficulty in learning the language and culture of the Na’vi because it is
more rooted in spirituality and intuitive connectivity with nature than ours. In trying to
teach Jake the language of the Na’vi people, a co-worker, in explaining the definition of a
word tells him that, “it is not to see you in front of me, but rather to see into you.” The
recurring phrase and song “I See You,” throughout the movie “reflects the experience of
kinship with non-human organisms eye-to-eye contact that leads to dark green
perceptions” (Bron). This illustrates that the Na’vi language possesses and intuitive
understanding of its surroundings, not a superficial surface-level one.
In examining the context of the two cultural systems, we can relate to Orr’s (What
is education for?) contention that our education system is not helping us because it is not
sufficiently “hands-on” with nature.” Like John Smith who came to the natives with
European understandings and learned much from Pocohontas and her people, Jake came
to Pandora with a great deal of human knowledge. Yet, Jake’s avatar needed to learn
virtually everything from scratch in order to understand ‘nature-oriented’ Pandora as his
modern sci-tech knowledge was useless here. Similar to Pocohontas who ultimately
recocnized that John Smith had a good heart, Neytiri tells Jake “you have a strong heart
and no fear but are stupid, [and] ignorant like a child.” When he asks her to “teach [him]
to see,” Neytiri replies that, “you can’t be taught… Sky People don’t know how to see”
This is the reason that the colonists attempt to open a school to teach (indoctrinate) the
Na’vi the human ways in order to win them over ultimately failed because the two belief
systems were literally light years apart.
While we may have ethics related to many aspects of our life and culture, Leopold
(Land Ethic) points out that we have no ethic dealing with man’s relation to the land and
to the animals and plants which grow upon it. Having such a land ethic is essential
because White (historical roots) contends that technology and science is essentially bad
and therefore unable to fix our problems with more science and technology. Man’s
unnatural treatment of nature and its sad result is a consequence of western, medieval
traditions of science and technology as well as an alternative Christian view in which
humans are given dominion over the world and thus become superior to nature,
contemptuous of it and ultimately willing to use it for their slightest whim. As a case in
point, a newly elected Governor of California at the time said, “when you have seen one
redwood tree, you have seen them all.” Thus, to a Christian, a tree is no more than a
physical fact, and the entire concept of the ‘sacred grove’ is alien to Christianity and the
ethos of the West. It is this Western outlook and lack of land ethic that underlies the clash
of cultures in “Avatar”.
It is within this context that the corporation, without regard for native life, nature,
or ultimately its own employees, embarks on a mission of destruction for its own mining
profits, and in the process alienates not only the indigenous population, but also the
combined forces of nature. Leopold (1949) contends that, “the conqueror role in human
history is self-defeating because it is implicit in such a role that the conqueror knows just
what makes the community clock tick and just what and who is valuable and who is
worthless in community life” (Leopold, 1949, p.). Corporate Head Parker characterizes
the Na’vi as “savages who are threatening [the] whole operation” (Avatar, 2009). When
told by an employee that a native was blocking his blade, he without hesitation and any
regard for life responds “keep going, he’ll move; people have to learn that we won’t stop”
(Avatar 2009). We see the same indifference to life on display in the movies
“Bhopali,”and “China Syndrome” in which a corporation’s continue operating even
though disasters are anticipated and yet do nothing about it.
In the same manner that families in “Grapes of Wrath” pleaded with the
Corporate banks on behalf of their children, Dr. Grace Augustine in “Avatar” questioned
the corporation’s intent to destroy the Na’vi in order to continue mining; “there’s
families, babies and children in there, are you going to kill children?” The simple answer
is yes. Anyone who opposes the corporation will be eliminated. When Godell in “The
China Syndrome” tried to warn the world of the dangers inherent in the nuclear power
plant, he was shot dead. When Truman tries to escape from Seacrest, the corporation
attempts to kill him for abandoning their cause by creating a storm to capsize his boat. In
a less dramatic fashion, when the alienated “Tramp” in “Modern Times” refuses to fit in
to modern society, like the other sheep who enter the factory each day, he takes up the
red banner of protest and is thrown in jail. When the settlers in Pocohontas continue to
defect in favor of nature, the Governor declares that “those who don’t obey will be tried
for treason and hung. And when employees of the “Avatar” mining corporation defect,
they are targeted for elimination. The Colonel only supports Jake as long as he remains
loyal to the force and gathers the intel requested of him. The Colonel says to Jake, “you
haven’t got lost in the woods have you? Your last report was more than seven weeks ago,
I am starting to doubt you resolve. Maybe it’s time to terminate the mission”( meaning
Jake ) (Avatar, 2009). When the bulldozers finally move in, Jake’s avatar is recognized as
he tries to stop the invasion, and the Colonel finally orders him to be killed. The fighter
pilot suffers a similar fate when she abandons the mission because she “didn’t sign up for
this” (Avatar 2009), and is shot down as she disengages and turns to leave. Even the
defecting Dr. Grace Augustine is shot and ultimately dies despite the intervention of
Eywa’s pure spirits.
Never the less, as Leopold has pointed out, the conqueror role in human history is
self-defeating. In each movie studied, the corporation ultimately loses. In “Bhopali”, the
Corporation is sued and forced to build treatment centers for the sick. In “The China
Syndrome”, In “Truman Show”, the corporation loses its star and ultimately its audience.
In “Modern Times”, the industrialized way of life loses when the Tramp escapes jail and
returns to nature. In “Pocohontas” the Europeans seeing that the natives “ have enough
warriors to defeat the white demons” simply leave. And in much more dramatic fashion,
in “Avatar” the corporation, despite its overwhelming might is overwhelmed by the
combined forces of Pandora and literally removed from the planet. The Colonel thought
he had ultimate power through his machine, but in an ironic twist of fate he is trapped in
his technology and killed by a simple wooden arrow.
References
Avatar (2009)
Leopold, A. (1949). “The Land Ethic” New York: Oxford University Press
Lovelock, J. (1979). “Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth” New York: Oxford
Muir, J. (1894). “A Near High View of the Sierra”
Orr, D. (2004). “What is Education For?” Washington, D.C.: Island Press
Scharper, S. (1997). “The New Cosmology: Universe as Context”
Thoreau, H.D. ( ) “Walking”
Waskow, A. ( ) “WorldViews”