Princess Mononoke

Something that interested me in Princess Mononoke was what drove the story forward. Obviously there is a sense of nature vs. humans, or industrialization and nature. But what I also found was a sense of loss or a lack of belonging that drove the characters forward, and while this theme is prevalent in many films and novels, it is a very obvious theme in Princess Mononoke. Susan J. Napier talks about the final vision of Princess Mononoke as, "the sense of a broken heterogeneous world is stridently manifest...the film also emphasize loss, even privileges it." (232) All the characters suffer from a sort of loss that drives the story forward. Ashitaka starts off the film by leaving his village in order to search for a cure for his curse. This can be seen as a loss of a home in the sense that he no longer belongs there. He cuts is hair, symbolizing banishment or rejection from his hometown. While his village may have not outwardly banished him, he felt the need to leave in search of the cure, which is return he must leave his old way of life. The many characters all loose something, usually their homeland. The conflict with the iron workers and the spirits of the forest come from the iron works taking trees and burning the ground. In one scene particular, the apes of the forest that was burned can be seen throwing stones and wanting to eat a human because of the loss of their home. Many of the spirits feel as though the only way to get their homes back and to keep them safe is to kill all humans. Another instance of loss of home can be seen with the boars. They travel from their homeland to defeat the iron works. Their intent to defeat the humans in response to the humans killing their God. They fight to avenge him. This sense of loss drives their story line and give the film its climatic fight scene. 

Another take on can be seen through San. Even though she can be seen as a human, she possesses qualities of both human and spirit. She is neither completely human nor completely spirit. In a way, this could be seen as a lack of identity, or a lack of belonging, if she does not belong with the spirits, or the humans completely, then to whom does she belong. Even though she can be seen associating herself more to the spirits, she cannot ignore the more human side of her. One scene in particular when Okkotonushi comes to the realm of the Deer God, the boar gos against the wolves commenting on how San is not one of them, yet the wolves stand up for her to support her. It is interesting the way San sees herself, she likes to view herself as completely different from humans, but she herself, still possess human qualities, "Although 'mononoke' traditionally means possession by a human spirit, San is clearly possessed by the fearsome spirits of nature. Raised by a female wolf known as Moro, San detests all things humans and lives only to destroy human civilization." (235) San is human, whether she wants to believe it or not, she has human qualities and her want to destroy humans could also be seen as a want to get rid of the human side of her. She wants to protect her wolf family and it is because of her identity with the spirits, that she sides with them. This conflict is what drives her intentions forward.

The lack of belonging not only drove the characters forward, but the want to not lose a home, the main conflict comes from the iron works and the forest spirits fighting for their homeland. The iron works wants to expand so it can thrive, but also it has defenses and people that live there that want to keep their home safe, they do not give into the threats from eh spirits, because they want to continue living there. The spirits go against the humans because they too, do not want to lose their home. This type of conflict can be seen in many other films and novels, however, it is the main conflict and the fear of the loss of their home is what drives the story. 

The theme of industrialization and nature also comes into play in terms of loss. "But it is also, as she says, a film about 'the extent to which love involves loss of many kinds.' It is a wake-up call to attempts to provoke its audience into realizing how much they have already lost and how much more they stand to lose." (236) the loss of nature can be seen in the story. As the theme of loss of home from the characters. Since the main conflict centers around nature and the want to protect a homeland, it is fitting to think of nature as something that could be lost, and something to be fought for. Susan Napier argues that this film serves as a realization to humans of the ecological crisis. Nature, even now, can be seen as all living things home. If there was to be a loss of nature, then all of humanity would lose their homes. Hence the sense of loss that stems from the story. If humans all realize that nature is our home, perhaps we can live with nature in harmony. Instead of trying to take it over. If humans do not wake up to the reality of the situation of the environment, then everyone could be in the same boat as the characters in the film, in terms of the loss of a home. At the end of the story, the characters get a sense of belonging. Ashitaka decides to live at the iron works, and receives a home to live in and a place to call his own. San comes to the conclusion that she should stay in the forest. Even though they do not end up together, they get what they really want, a sense of belonging. Which is what they have been searching for.

This want to belong and want to move on from loss is what drives the story forward. Almost every character suffers form a sort of loss or a sense of not belonging, or a want to protect their homeland, all of which are very human wants. Perhaps this want to belong and a place to call our own is not so strange and is what Miyazaki is trying to get at, perhaps he is trying to show that many of us are just trying to get by and live on.  Thus telling humans that they can live in harmony with nature.