Finding balance in the conflict; Mononoke
By Maitri Patel
Background of the movie
Hayao Miyazaki is known for his animation skills and his love for nature. Princess Mononoke (Japanese: Mononoke-hime), one of my favourite Miyazaki film is a 1997 Japanese anime. The movie starts with a boar god turned into a demon- attacking a village. Ashitaka, one of the central character, killed the demon but could not save himself from the curse of the demon. He travelled to the land from where that boar came in the search of the cure of that curse.
During his journey, Ashitaka meets San and Eboshi. San was raised by a wolf pack and is one of the protectors of the forest life. Eboshi is a leader of a town called iron town which makes its living out of producing iron and its products. The town has been built by clear-cutting the surrounding forest and wishes to expand its territory.
No villains, only different viewpoints
Conflict arises in the movie as it does in our world. Communities competing over resources blind to their similarities and focus only on past grievances. Characters express love for those around them but many also harbour a deep hatred for those that are operating against the interest of their community. San and Eboshi both are admirable people, cursed by hatred. Eboshi created the iron town as a sanctuary for the lepers, prostitutes, etc. She cares deeply for her community and she knows that the only way for that community to survive and thrive is to draw iron from the earth. Her pursuit comes to a detriment of the animals and forest.
San is a daughter of Moro, the wolf goddess and she was raised by Moro as one of her own even though San is a human. She has a great love and empathy for them and all the other beings that dwell in the forest. But because she sees herself as one of them, because the iron town is destroying her home, this sets her in the direct opposition of Eboshi.
At the cursory glance, the film can be viewed as a good vs evil. The humans as a whole being evil and animals being good. Eboshi being the leader of evil and hence we are tempted to see her as a villain. But the beauty of the story is no character is portrayed as a villain. All the characters filled with both love and hate simultaneously. They are capable of both good and evil. There is no villain. Everyone has different complicated motives for their actions.
Religious influence
Many Miyazaki films are inspired by ancient Japanese religion Shinto, that believes we share our world with a variety of spirits called kami. In Shinto, nature doesn’t exist for humanity to conquer. It is universally sacred and that means that the right way of life is in accordance with how nature works. Kami are not necessarily good or evil. It has generative powers that anchorages harmonious relationships between humans and other living beings. This film through Ashitaka’s character attempts to find a balance between humans and non-human living beings.
Things to think about
The film left us with two types of questions. One is, how do you participate in this social system in your life? Are you going to help your own people whatever the cost to others? Or will you be following general norms of the society? Or are you going to be like Ashitaka with a strong moral compass and always tries to find a balance even if it has a huge cost to pay?
The second question is related to environmental ethics. The main question here is not whether humans should attempt to modify their natural environments or not, but rather how and to what extent humans should seek to modify their natural environment. Should we adopt modern technologies? If so, how far should we let them take over the way that we do things now? Are the changes too quick? Do we have time to think over what we are losing in the process? Do we have time to think about which parts of our progress disrupt harmony with nature?
The ethical question can be recast, then, not to ask how nature should be managed or preserved, but rather to ask what forms of culture can be created which allow both for human flourishing and the flourishing of nonhuman forms of life. Instead of arguing about why nature should be preserved, thinking about what forms of human interventions are justified in the natural world is more important and complex. We can see this contestation throughout the human history and that might be the reason Miyazaki chooses to take the story out of the modern context entirely so that we can better understand present issues in the context of historical interactions between humans and nature.
Conclusion
Unlike other films, where the assumption that goodness is the natural state of the world is reinforced at the end of the story, the film recognizes that duality of life can never be truly resolved. The beliefs and values we have with regard to nature are constructed, that they can be re-constructed in ways that enable us to comprehend the world better and interact with it more successfully. As Richard Evanoff rightly argued, “Once we recognize that our present social arrangements are neither inevitable nor absolute but constructed and contingent, it is possible to create a different future”. This is precisely what Ashitaka tries to do in the movie. In the end, every character learns that while the world may never be wholly good, you have to attempt to live in harmony with both nature and your fellow humans.
