During the lecture discussion there were many comments about human influence e.g. Jake’s hands still being human hands as an avatar rather than three fingered hands. So, still analyzing the human signifiers the scene that stood out to me most is when Sigourney Weaver (in avatar form) speaks to Jake in his first experience with becoming an avatar. He runs out of the hospital unit and begins to run freely through the grounds amazed by his ability to have working legs.
What stood out most in this scene to me is that fact that Sigourney is wearing human clothes (a cut off t-shirt and shorts along with cornrow braids). This signifier signifies the human race. By Sigourney wearing human clothes she stands out from the other Avatars’ lack of clothing and body paint. This could signify the way Sigourney contrasts with the Avatar race; even though she is in Avatar form she can never truly become an Avatar. On the contrary, she is the only human before Jake that seems to genuinely care about the Avatar’s existence rather than the resources that are under their land. She is also the only human that is mourned by the Avatar population and given a proper ceremony. However, it is also interesting that Jake lacks clothing. This signifier could signify the connection between himself and the Avatars. Ultimately he ends up a true Avatar and completely embodies his new lifestyle. By lacking human clothes throughout the movie, Jake is portrayed as a person who genuinely fits with the Avatar race.
In conclusion, human clothing on the Avatars’ bodies presents a visual discrimination between ethnicities. Human clothing, which is connected to humans and the need for clothing, does not fit with being an Avatar. The human clothes are able to establish the differences between being able to be an Avatar or not. However, human clothes do not signify the “pureness of heart”. Even though the majority of the humans in the movie are looked down upon similar to the Europeans invading Native American lands, Sigourney Weaver plays the role of a woman who truly wants to understand the environment. Even though she is wearing human clothing, she is not represented as evil. The clothes again merely discriminate between who are Avatars and who aspire to be them but ultimately do not have the ability.
I think the clothing also acts as a dividing element between Grace and the Na'vi. However, I think it runs a lot deeper than her not being able to become one of them. I think it creates the division between researcher and subject. Grace keeping her human clothing on places her in a position of academic elitism that is above the lowly Na'vi who should be studied. She makes a distinction between herself and those she studies because she doesn't want to be "too close" to the natives. She doesn't want to lose her scientific objectivity while studying the "animals" of Pandora.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the clothing, I think Jake's overall attitude and air of freedom during the whole first experience better relates to the Navi way of life than Grace's attempted restrictions. I don't mean that the Navi are reckless or wild or anything, but that their culture seems to be about learning through experience rather than lessons. For instance, the scene where he battles the dragon-bird thingy haha. No one eased him into it, he was just expected to figure his way out of a life or death situation. So, I guess I feel like that's another way that Jake is connected to the Navi from the very beginning of his avatar experience.
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