Ehsan Faraz
9/24/13
Film 160

Ethnic Symbolism in Pocahontas

In Walt Disney’s Pocahontas (1955), the adventures of a young Native Virginia Indian woman in her early twenties are portrayed as she roams the forest to search for what the meaning to her life truly is. She is a free spirit who lives with the nature of the world around her and is very attached to its beauty. Once the Englishmen invade the Indians’ territory in search of new land to conquer, things begin to change. There is a shift of tone from innocence to savagery as they come looking for gold and are willing to do anything to get their hands on it. Through this clash of two different civilizations, the filmmakers adequately display the mixing of two opposing peoples and how their relationship ultimately affects the outcome of their situations. Early in the film, Pocahontas is very lonely and often spends most of her time away from her village. When she first meets John Smith, she doesn’t approach him directly, but instead, her raccoon meeko sneaks up to Smith and eats a cookie from him. This is a common way of introducing two characters because there is often anther person or object that will initiate the conversation or make the first move. It also indicates that the Indians are modest and unaware of what is about to happen to them. When John Smith meets Pocahontas, he is at first as prejudice as all the other men and ignorant to the Powhatan tribe as being a friendly people. Nonetheless after Pocahontas shows him the land and convinces him that they don’t have gold and her people are not savages like the English say they are, he decides that he doesn’t want to hurt the Indians anymore. Soon after getting to know one another, Pocahontas and John Smith fall in love. This falling-in-love feature which Disney is known for in its fairytales, disrupts the balance of their two societies causing outrage and hostility between the two cultures since each has its own distinctive set of values and motives. Eventually, both the Indians and English send someone to go looking for Pocahontas and John Smith as they are nowhere to be seen. Kocoum, the Native American who wants to marry Pocahontas, attacks John but is shot by Thomas. The result is uproar between the two sides as the Indians capture John as a signal for battle. Since both societies think that the opposing party is their enemy, there is confusion between an act of love taken in consideration for a sign to fight. One of the main songs in the film, “Colors of the Wind,” pinpoints the views of Pocahontas and the Indians on the Englishmen as ignorant and flagrant people believing that they can claim anything they want. This song also argues that there must be equality between the two races to preserve the natural beauty of the earth to keep it graceful.
“We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains. We need to paint with all the colors of the wind. You can own the Earth and still. All you'll own is Earth until. You can paint with all the colors of the wind.” The colors of the wind being the different backgrounds suggests that the two should come together as one and paint with the same brush to live in harmony. The film gives a short history lesson that not only gives insight about the English mindset to gain power and respect, but also exhibits how two oppositions can come to an agreement despite their differences in origin. However, it is still unmanageable for both cultures to infuse with one another and prosper because of their vast ethnic differences and levels of education. For this reason, Pocahontas chooses to stay in her homeland because it fits her spontaneous lifestyle.
Works Cited
Williams, Vanessa. "Colors of the Wind." Rec. 23 Mar. 1995. Walt Disney. Stephen Schwartz, Alan Menken, 1995. CD.