Spirited Away Discussion – Group I

Story Symbol

• No Face’s mask pops up a lot throughout the story.
• Golds (most characters are obsessed with golds).
• Food, when consumed by the parents turns them into pigs; whereas consumed by Chihiro gives her strength.

Symbolic Characters

• Big Baby, an ally
• The workers, opinionated people
• The twin sisters are both very old but polar opposite from each other.
• No Face attempts to help the humans try to enter the hot springs but is only let in by Chihiro; in one way or another represents kindness.
• Haku is the river deity; this alludes to the Japanese culture of having gods for everything.

Symbolic Theme

• Greed is one of the main themes, evidenced by the mental deformation of some characters (Chihiro’s parents, Yubaba, the workers,…).
• Changes – both positively and negatively. For Chihiro, when she has to move and character development throughout the movie. For Chihiro’s parents, when they turn into pigs.

Symbolic Worlds

• Most of the residents are animal-human hybrids. In this world, when a human doesn’t work, they turn into animals.
• The setting is an old amusement park.
• The bathhouse and the ‘amusement park’ co-exist but give different vibes.
• The train connects different worlds.
• The spirits only come out at night; this alludes to old beliefs of Japanese yokai.

Symbolic Objects

• The food (at the beginning of the movie and throughout).
• Golds.
• Water.
• Hair tie from Zeniba that acts as a protective charm.
• Train ticket from Kamaji.
• River Spirit’s herbal cake that helps cure Haku.

As you wish – Nhan C.

1. Story Symbol
   Is there a central symbol that unites the whole story?  How does it work?
2. Symbolic Characters
   What kinds of characters populate the story? Does their age, gender, race, abilities, background, skills give them a symbolic role?  Do they carry, use or appear near symbols that define them?
3. Symbolic Theme
   What is your story’s main moral message about what kinds of actions are good vs evil? Are there any symbols used to describe or define the theme?
4. Symbolic Worlds
   What kind of story world(s) exist in your story and do the worlds define their inhabitants in any symbolic way? eg erathdwellers are emphatic, and sky dwellers are aloof.
5. Symbolic Objects
   Are there symbolic objects that carry meaning(s) in your story. Examples include the Ring in Lord of Rings, The Wand in Harry Potter, the Grail in King Arthur stories. Even small objects can have pervasive meaning, like the Red thread/bracelet in Your Name.