Interpret Spirited Away (2001) by Amy Cai https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway Post your interpretation of a theme from the movie, with one image (optional) and 2-3 sentences of description. en-us 2021-10-28 01:31:31 UTC 2024-06-09 01:47:13 UTC hello@padlet.com The loss of your birth name plays a large role in identity issues in Spirited Away (2001). when you lose your name (or it gets taken from you) you lose your identity and forget who you are as a person. the idea is to find yourself and your identity. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851756264 2021-10-28 15:45:24 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851756264 Chihiro begins the film unsure of herself and her actions. She is then named Sen by the witches. By the end of the film, she becomes confident and sure of her decisions. Chihiro must lose herself to figure out her true identity. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851763668 2021-10-28 15:47:02 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851763668 Names or something https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851766598 There is a particular focus on names in Spirited Away. The mysterious land that Chihiro finds herself in forces her to abandon her old name, possibly as an analogy for not letting people be themselves, and Haku has some sort of spell broken on him when Chihiro remembers his name. This of course connects to a topic of identity and the importance of it, as evidence by the fact that the most monstrous character is No-Face, someone who literally has no identity. ]]> 2021-10-28 15:48:00 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851766598 This story follows a young girl trying to prove herself in the world. she evolves from a scared, closed off person to a strong, independent, confident person. she proves herself and becomes comftertable in her skin. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851768176 2021-10-28 15:48:31 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851768176 - When the parents selfishly started consuming the food of the village, they turned into pigs due to their greed and lack of self-control/consideration. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851770399 2021-10-28 15:49:15 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851770399 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851772502 Coming-of-age as a genre shows a character grow into a more mature role, typically by experiencing struggles throughout the narrative. Chihiro begins as a timid girl who is faced with the task of saving her parents in a completely foreign world. The supporting characters do not make this task easy for her, forcing her to overcome various obstacles. Her character development is extremely clear to the viewer, watching her transform from a quiet young girl to a confident and determined individual who no longer fears the task at hand. ]]> 2021-10-28 15:49:56 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851772502 - In relation to character identity, we saw that Chihiro had to branch off into areas she was not comfortable with to truly understand herself. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851773428 2021-10-28 15:50:14 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851773428 In the beginning of the film, Spirited Away (2001), Chihiro's parents overindulge in a feast not meant for them. They then are transformed into pigs. This is a common symbol in film and media for the way individuals behave in a capitalist society. They indulge like pigs and continue to eat and consume with no regard for moderation. Similarly to how people will just continue to buy and consume aimlessly. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851776486 2021-10-28 15:51:19 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851776486 tackles themes of Greed and selfishness. the parents take the food that was not for their consumption and they were punished by turning into pigs. they were also selfish toward Chihiro. they know she was frightened and they ignored her wishes for their own gain in the market. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851776643 2021-10-28 15:51:22 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851776643 - Throughout the movie, we see Chihiro go through several events, from losing her parents to beginning to work to preserve her spirit, through this journey she learns many lessons and eventually develops a better understanding of herself and the things around her. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851777059 2021-10-28 15:51:32 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851777059 Most of the lead characters in this film are female. (witches, main character, etc.). this challenges the 'normal' - male lead - stereotype in most films. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851786250 2021-10-28 15:54:46 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851786250 Human Trafficking https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851787992 There is a vocal minority of people who believe that Spirited Away is an analogy for human trafficking and the sex trade in Japan. This has been confirmed to be false by the creator, Hayao Miyazaki, but Death of the Author and all that. The removal of one's names, the harsh control and everpresent eyes of the witch, No-Face offer of gold and Chihiro's refusal of it, removal of individuality, etc, all contribute to the interpretation. I don't subscribe to it myself, but it's out there.]]> 2021-10-28 15:55:22 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851787992 - By forcing Chihiro to work, it demonstrated the theme of Capitalism because in a Capitalist society one who desires wealth and respect must work hard in order to achieve it. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851790608 2021-10-28 15:56:11 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851790608 In the beginning of Spirited Away (2001), a wind pushes the family towards the entryway to the alternate universe. I believe this is because Chihiro needs the experience of the alternate universe to gain independence and become her true self. Some sort of force knows that and pushes her to do what she needs. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851793826 2021-10-28 15:57:16 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851793826 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851891101 Spirited Away begins with Chihiro being worried about the new changes she will face moving to a new home. Entering the spirt world, she is very frightened yet manages to grow and learn independence through these new experiences. Her coming-of-age is proven at the end of the movie where she learns the importance of friendship and battling her struggles without her parents.]]> 2021-10-28 16:33:34 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851891101 There is a reversal of the damsel in distress trope when Chihiro has to be the one to find herself and rescue Haku instead of the other way around https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851908924 2021-10-28 16:40:46 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851908924 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851912493 The people of the spa give up everything when no face begins handing out what they believe to be gold and they give him all their assets (food, etc.) and he begins to eat the people themselves. This represents people giving everything they have for a chance at money and not being able to meet the impossible standards set in front of them ]]> 2021-10-28 16:42:12 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851912493 Even though Chihiro takes back her name, she is not the same person as when she started on her journey. Her identity has evolved and her name has taken on a new meaning https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851912647 2021-10-28 16:42:16 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851912647 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851917988 The scene when the river god walks into the bath house and must be cleaned of garbage is a clear analogy for the effects of climate change, which is largely a result of capitalism. The memorable image of the god slowly walking towards the bath hanging its head is a representation of the tired and damaged state of our planet as a consequence of human greed.]]> 2021-10-28 16:44:21 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851917988 Capitalism has the ability to strip people of their identity. The character of no face is all consuming as he goes on a rampage eating everything in his sight. His actions paired with the fact that he has not been given a face or real name exemplifies how capitalism strips people of their individuality so that they may continue to consume mold themselves into a person that is an amalgamation of every desire. https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851922267 2021-10-28 16:46:03 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851922267 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851923209 No-Face is analogous to capitalist society and modern consumer culture. He continues to eat and eat as much as he can, with little regard for the concerns of others (except Chihiro). He also expects that he can pay everyone off with gold to get whatever he wants, and people flock to him to get a piece of his fortune. He represents the allure of money and the dangers of overconsumption.]]> 2021-10-28 16:46:27 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851923209 Greed https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851924638 Chihiro is able to survive the spirit world due to not being greedy. This is obvious especially in her scenes with No Face. He offers gold to everyone in the bathhouse and when they eagerly take it, he begins to eat them and wreck havoc, imitating the soul-sucking power of putting money above ethics. However, when he offers Chihiro the money, she simply says she doesn’t want it, and becomes the only person who can stop him from destroying the bathhouse. Indeed, she gives him something (the dumpling) which, while nasty (it makes him regurgitate the others) is a marked difference from the others at the house, who only take]]> 2021-10-28 16:47:04 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851924638 The film begins with Chihiro having to accept her new reality of moving to a new school/ starting a new chapter. This theme of transition is seen a lot within most coming-of-age films. Throughout the film, Sen's character must make numerous decisions, experience new changes, and undergo uncomfortable situations. All of which leads to the development of a matured sense of character. By the end of the film, you can visually see a transformation in Sen(even highlighted through the change in name). https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851927597 2021-10-28 16:48:19 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851927597 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851930649 At the beginning of the film, Chihiro acts very childishly, slumping her shoulders and sulking at the idea of moving. However, over the course of the film she becomes much more confident and mature. This is seen at the end, where she walks through the same terrain she did at the start of the film, only now, instead of awkwardly scrambling around, she walks straight and stares straight ahead. It is obvious even from her posture that she has changed]]> 2021-10-28 16:49:36 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851930649 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851931577 As with most of Miyazaki's movies, the plot of Spirited Away follows an adventure/coming-of-age plot that would usually feature a young male lead, but places a young girl in this position instead. This ties into the fact that Chihiro's end goal in the film is not tied to a love interest, as would be the case in a more conventional female coming-of-age story, but rather individual to her own growth.]]> 2021-10-28 16:50:00 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851931577 https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851940583 This is a coming of age story as it displays the main character, Chihiro, developing from a scared kid into a mature person. At the start of the story she is scared to enter the tunnel leading to the amusement park and is seen clinging to her mother's leg the whole time. She relies on her parents at the beginning and once they are turned into pigs she is forced to make her way on her own. As she continues her journey she has to make difficult decisions herself and is tasked with saving her parents, whereas at the beginning she was looking to her parents to save her. The roles have reversed by the end. Chihiro is scared to move to a new home and school and by the end she is ready]]> 2021-10-28 16:53:35 UTC https://padlet.com/amycsw562/spiritedaway/wish/1851940583