Blog 2

 When I saw the prompt for the second blog, I knew I had to shout out one of my favorite Disney movies as a kid. Moana is a 2016 animated film centered around a young Polynesian girl who sets out on a journey to restore balance to the ocean and save her island home from a terrible curse. Moana's journey conforms to the heroine's journey narrative archetype, as defined by Victoria Lynn Schmidtt, encouraging us to understand Moana's story as a powerful example of a woman's journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and transformation. Schmidtt's version of the heroine's journey archetype is a feminist interpretation of Joseph Campbell's hero's journey. The heroine's journey, according to Schmidtt, involves 9 distinct steps that form a template similar to Campbell’s. However, for the sake of conciseness, I decided to split the steps into 4 broader categories: separation, initiation, transformation, and return. Moana's journey through these stages is a powerful exploration of the heroine's journey archetype.
The first stage of Moana's journey is separation. Moana is a young girl who is eager to explore the ocean beyond the confines of her island home. However, her father, the chief of her tribe, forbids her from venturing out to sea. Moana is torn between her desire to explore and her duty to her family and community. When her island is threatened by a terrible curse, Moana realizes that she must leave her home and embark on a dangerous journey to find the demigod Maui and restore the heart of Te Fiti. This moment marks Moana's separation from her comfortable and familiar life, as she sets out on a quest that will challenge her in ways she never imagined.
The second part of her journey, initiation, is when she faces many challenges and obstacles on her journey like storms, monsters, and the doubts and fears of her own mind. She must learn to navigate the ocean, trust her instincts, and believe in herself. Moana also meets the demigod Maui, who is initially resistant to helping her on her quest. Together, they must learn to work as a team and overcome their own personal ailments in order to succeed. Moana's initiation is a time of great learning and growth as she discovers her own inner strength and courage.
               The third stage of her journey is transformation. Moana must confront the darkness within herself and within the world around her. She must also confront the legacy of her ancestors, who were once great navigators and explorers but who have lost touch with their connection to the ocean. Moana must learn to restore that connection and embrace her heritage in order to save her people and her home. Moana's transformation is a powerful moment of self-discovery and empowerment, as she learns to accept herself and her place in the world.
                Moana’s final stage is the return. She returns to her island home with the restored heart of Te Fiti and the knowledge and wisdom she has gained on her journey. She is able to heal the curse that has plagued her people and restore the ocean's balance, and she has become a leader and a hero, but she also understands the importance of community and connection. Moana's return is a moment of triumph and celebration, as she is welcomed back as a hero and a symbol of hope.

Moana conforms to Schmidtt's version of the heroine's journey narrative archetype by reflecting on the themes of self-discovery, empowerment, and transformation. Moana's journey is one of personal growth and exploration, as she sets out to discover her own identity and place in the world. Moana learns to trust herself and her instincts, even when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. She also learns to embrace her heritage and the traditions of her people, recognizing the importance of cultural identity and community. Her journey is also a story of empowerment, as she defies the expectations placed on her by her society and family. Moana's father tries to dissuade her from her desire to explore the ocean, believing that it is too dangerous and that she should stay within the confines of their island home. 

However, Moana persists and ultimately sets out on her journey, determined to save her people and restore balance to the ocean. Moana's journey is a testament to the power of self-determination and the importance of following one's dreams, even in the face of adversity. And finally, this journey is one of transformation as she confronts her own fears and doubts and emerges as a stronger and more confident person. Moana learns to accept herself and her heritage, recognizing the importance of cultural identity and connection to the land and sea. Moana's transformation is a powerful moment of self-discovery and empowerment, as she learns to embrace her own identity and place in the world.

Comments

  1. Khadeejah R.March 9, 2023 at 2:30 PM

    I think a lot of Disney Princess movies can kind of fit into the heroine's journey, but Moana is especially interesting because she doesn't have a romantic interest who ends up saving her and painting her as a damsel in distress. Even though Maui can kind of be seen as a savior, a lot of Moana's personal character development comes when he is not around, like when he left her after breaking his hook and she decides to continue with her journey anyway. Moana also connects with her heritage which shows that the heroine's journey doesn't have to be solely related to gender. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LisaMarch 14, 2023 at 9:46 PM

    I like the categories you split the journey into because it makes it much more manageable and easier to analyze as a whole. Moana provides a very nice example of the heroine's journey, but I wonder how widely applicable it is. I expect some heroine's journey would fit the steps of the hero's journey better than the steps of the heroine's journey. I like Khadeejah's point that the journey doesn't have to be completely focused on gender roles, but (based on your point in your first post) I wonder how different cultures' perception of gender would influence the way a heroine's journey is told and how far it would differ from Schmidt's version.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Navid TajkhorshidMarch 20, 2023 at 1:35 PM

    I like the themes of cultural identity, community, and empowerment, and wonder if they could fit in more explicitly with the heroine’s journey. Moana is an interesting movie to analyze since, at face value, it doesn’t seem to have tension between the feminine and masculine. Moana is in line to become the next chief, and her father seems to treat her the same way he would a son. However, you could interpret the “feminine” as the commitment to her people you identified and her role as a chief, while connecting the “masculine” to being an explorer and embracing her cultural identity. She starts out exploring and trying to save the island before coming back and reconciling that identity with her identity as a chief.

    ReplyDelete
  4. WilliamMarch 20, 2023 at 1:42 PM

    Good post, Aryan. One detail that makes Moana an interesting example heroine's journey, to me, is the gender dynamic on the island. The king? emperor? chief? leader? of the island, Moana's father, want to ensure that, once Moana succeeds him, she rules exactly as he did, thereby allowing the patriarch's values to continue on. Moana is initially expected to act "manly", but she is called away from traditional masculinity with her will to save the island and explore (perhaps this distinction is more accurately one between tradition and breaking norms. It's hard to flesh out all of one's ideas within the confines of a blog comment. Either way, great post).

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment