CameronRaymer

ProfessorJaneDrexler
Philosophy2300
31July2016
TheStoriesWeTell:SeeingwithEyesUnclouded
Whenpeopletalkaboutenvironmentalisminfictionitisoftenwithafeelingoffatigue.
Thephraseguilttripseemstocomeupalot,orevenaccusationsofapoliticaldriveofsome
sort.AlthoughIfindthesepositionsfrustrating,Icanunderstandwhysomemightfeelthatway.
Oftentimesinfilmsorbookswithathemeofenvironmentalism,theissueisportrayedasbeing
veryblackandwhitethatis,thatnatureisgoodandhumansarebadforhurtingnature.Idont
thinkthatstorieslikethisarenecessarilywrong,howeverImustadmitthatsuchclearcut,right
orwrongviewpointscanalienatemanyviewers.
AsCarolynMerchantexplainedin
TheDeathofNature
,ourattitudestowardsnatureand
howwetreatitareoftendirectlyreflectiveofourimageryofnature.Thestorieswetellmatter.
Theystickwithusandshapeourunderstandingandempathyoftheworldaroundus.Thestories
wehearaschildrencandeeplyaffectourrelationshipwithnature.Forexample,peoplearound
myageremembermoviessuchasPocahontasandWallE.Weknowallofthewordsof
Colors
oftheWind
.WiththisinmindImustaskmyselfwhytherearesomanypeoplewhoarefatigued
withstoriesaboutconservationandnature?Ifwehavegrownupwithsomanystorieswith
concernfornature,onewouldassumethatwecarrythatconcernintoadulthood.Intheend,I
thinkthatapartofitisduetoourAmericanculture.

Withourtwoplatform,bipartisanpoliticalsystem,weareveryusedtolookingatthings
inblackandwhite.Weareusedtotwoperspectiveswithnoroomforunderstandingor
compromise.Becauseofthis,manypeopleviewapleatocareaboutconservationaspolitically
chargedandexaggerated,evenifitisnot.Youcanseethiswithhowpoliticaltheissueofglobal
warmingistheeffectsareveryobviousandastaggeringnumberofscientistshaveconfirmed
thattheissueisofaverylargescale.Mostagreethatwemustdosomethingtomitigatehuman
involvement.Evenstill,manypoliticiansarguethatitsallaploytoharmoilcompaniesandthat
scientistsarewrong.Ifinditsaddeningthatsomearesosetintheirwaysthattheyrebeyond
discussion.Thatattitudeisnowaytolearnorimproveourselves.
Blackandwhite,rightorwrong,oneortheothertheseareallunhelpfulwaystoviewthe
world,whichisaverycolorfulplace.Innature,therearenotwosides.Ifourstoriesonlyever
reflectatwosided,blackandwhiteviewpointtheywillonlyresonatewithpeoplewhose
viewpointstheyalreadyconfirm.Theywontofferenoughroomforchangeorunderstanding,
andtheywillinevitablycausedissentandfabricatedpointsofcontentionbetweengroupsof
people.Inaworldfullofmisunderstanding,Ifeelthatweneedmorestoriestoldingray.Oneof
thegreatestexamplesofthisisinHayaoMiyazakis1997film,
PrincessMononoke.
ThestorybeginsinaremoteEmishivillagethatisattackedbyademon.Thelastprince
ofthevillage,Ashitaka,defeatsthedemonbutnotbeforeittoucheshisarm.Oncedefeated,the
villagerslearnthatthedemonwasactuallytheboargod,Nago,drivenmadbyaballmadeof
ironlodgedinhisside.TheyalsorealizethatPrinceAshitakasarmwascursedandthathewill
die.Thewisewomanofthevillagetellshimthathemaybeabletofindacureifhegoeswest.

Onhisjourneyhegetscaughtupinthemiddleofadisputebetweenthegodsoftheforest
andaminingtownwhichhasbeenclearcuttingtheforestsonthemountaininordertogetmore
iron.ThegodsoftheforestarerepresentedmainlybyagirlnamedSan,wholiveswiththewolf
godsandcallsherselfawolf.IronTownisrepresentedbytheirleader,LadyEboshi.Shebuilt
IronTownuptowhatitisalmostsinglehandedlyandseemsfearlessinherpursuittomakelife
betterforthetownspeople.Ashitakagetstoknowbothsidesofthequarrelanddoesnottakea
side.WhenLadyEboshiaskshimwhatheishopingtoaccomplish,hetellsherthatheisthereto
seewitheyesuncloudedbyhate.Ashitakaworksforbothgroupsmuchtotheirdismay.Without
relayingtheentirefilm,thatlineisthecruxofwhatitsallabout.
Therearetwosidesinaconflictwhichbothhateeachother.Oneisthesideofnature,the
godsoftheforest.Theotherishumandevelopmentandhumansthemselves.Thethirdsideis
Ashitaka,themanonlimitedtimewhoisabletoseebothsideswithoutanygrudge.Hisneutral
stanceintheconflictallowshimtounderstandtheissuefarbetterthaneithersideevercould,
becausehecaresforboththewolvesandSanaswellasthepeopleofIronTown.Ithoughtitwas
veryimportantthatneithersideiseitherdemonizednorcompletelyforgivenofanywrongdoing.
Theymakeitclearthatbothsideshavelostthingsbecauseoftheothertheclearcutting
oftheforestsisdestroyingthewolveshomeandcausingthemtodieoutalongwithother
animals.Thewolvesthemselveshavekilledmanyofthetownspeople,whosefamiliesstillhold
grudgesfortheirlostlovedones.Bothsidesareunderstandablyangryandbothsideshavea
goodreasontocontinuetheirfight.Ashitakaisdifferentandintegralinthatheisinvestedinthe
motivationsofbothsidesbutholdsnohateforeitherofthem.Hewantstoseetheforestflourish
andforlifetheretoremaininbalance.Healsocaresaboutthetownspeopleandwantsthemtobe

abletoliveinpeace.Itisonlyfromthispointofunderstandingthathecanhelpbothofthem
cometoanunderstanding.
Thisisamoviewithoutvillains.EvenJigothemonk,whoeventuallyisrevealedtobe
workingwiththeemperortokilltheguardianoftheforestisnotinherentlybad.Hescowardly,
notevil.
Ithinkthatwhendiscussingenvironmentalismitisveryhelpfultolookatthingslessin
blackandwhiteandmoreingray,likeinthismovie.Inreality,thereareveryfewpeoplewho
activelystrivetodestroytheenvironment.Mostofitcomesdowntoeitheralackofawareness
orapathy.Itsrarelyanissueofmaliciousintent.Thisdoesnotexcusebehaviorthatcauses
damagetoourplanet,howeveritishelpfultoviewtheseissueswithoutdemonizinganyone
immediatelyfortheirmistakes.
Ialsofinditinterestingtonotethat
Mononoke
()
referstovengefulspiritsfrom
oldJapaneseliteratureandtraditionalbeliefs.SincethetitleisinreferencetoSanthewolfgirl,I
canonlyassumethatitisreferringtoherintensehatredofhumansandIronTown.Asaprincess
ofvengeancesotospeakthereisnowayshecouldresolvetheconflictonherown.Lady
Eboshiisnobetter,asthetwoofthemdidnot
want
toresolvetheconflict,theyonlywantedto
exactrevengeuponeachother.WithoutAshitaka,therewouldbenohappyending.
Ithinkthatsthemostimportantaspecttotakeawayfromthemovie.Understandingis
thekeytoresolvingourissueswithregardstohowwetreatnature.Itsalsoimportanttoshow
theworldforallofitsshadesofmorality.Thatisfarmoreinterestingandtruetolifethan
presentingonlytwosidestoastory.

Inreality,therearenoclearcutvillains.People,andtheworld,havemanylayersto
them.Itdoesnothelpustosimplifythoselayerssothatwemaytakeaside.Weneedtoworkon
listeningandcommunicatingmore.Ithinkthatifourstoriesofnaturebegantoshowmore
shadesofmorality,likein
PrincessMononoke
perhapsmorepeoplewouldunderstandthatlife
andourrelationshiptonatureismorecomplexthanwedliketoadmit.

WorksConsulted
"GlobalClimateChange:Effects."
ClimateChange:VitalSignsofthePlanet
.NASA,n.d.Web.
01Aug.2016.<http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/>.
Merchant,Carolyn.
TheDeathofNature:Women,Ecology,andtheScientificRevolution
.Print.
Takashina,Shji."UnderstandingMononokeovertheAges."Editorial.
JAPANECHO
Oct.
2006:n.pag.
JAPANECHOJAPANSWARDEADANDYASUKUNISHRINEVol.33,
No.5,October2006UnderstandingMononokeovertheAges
.JapanEchoInc.Web.31
July2016.<http://www.japanecho.com/sum/2006/330516.html>.