Ecofeminism in “Avatar”

Once again, this is a film I had never seen before this class. This class has really shown me how much of our beliefs and values as a society are shown through film and how much I am missing out simply because I do not watch a lot of films. Avatar is undoubtedly a wildly successful and beautiful film deserving of all its praise.

Plot

In the not so distant future, humans have exhausted Earth’s natural power resources and they see the Planet Pandora – and its supply of energy source Unobtanium – as a savior. Pandora is inhabited by the Na’vi, who are blue 10-foot tall blue-skinned human-like creatures. To scope out the new planet, humans – including main character Jake Sully –  take form as “avatars” and masquerade as the Na’vi. Jake is successful in seeking out sources of Unobtanium but ends up falling in love with Na’vi woman Neytiri. A battle ensues and ultimately leaves Jake in his avatar and humans without Unobtanium.

Critical Review

Something I find to be similar in many movies that have ecological themes is that nature has something valuable to humans – in this case unobtanium. It seems to me that humans only care about nature when there is either a pressing and immediate threat to their lives or there is potential for financial or power gain. In this and many medias, nature is a revenue generator that serves humans. I’m sure Jake’s perception of nature changes when he switches sides from humans to the Na’vi. The environment is a central player here and in a way, a character in and of itself. An important thought to remember when absorbing any type of media – especially those with nature as a main aspect – is that even when people don’t see it directly, media “influences human behavior with regard to the natural world” (Legler 227). Avatar  is indeed a film that makes powerful statements about the importance of caring for the Earth while also shining a light on the very real profit-driven values humans have. “The film Avatar is credited for its strong ecological message…At the same time, the film might also be read as the kind of tragic literature that mirrors…humanist values and ideals” (Waking Up From Avatar). 

“Ecofeminist thinkers draw on the concept of gender to analyse the relationships between humans and the natural world” (Wikipedia). Avatar, like most films that feature nature as a main component, has a female character that embodies nature while a male character embodies civilization. The concept of “mother Earth” is embedded deep within our brains, as evidenced by the Na’vi worshiping mother goddess Eywa and in the ways gender roles have been established within society as it relates to the environment. Within my tribe – the Yurok Tribe – men are traditionally hunters, the ones who take life and then sweat and pray to the creator and Earth for forgiveness and permission to continue taking for the sake of feeding the tribe. Women are traditionally the creators of life who grow and nurture children and plants and care for tribal members. In my opinion, Avatar has many similarities to this.