Pocahontas Original Finale (2013) YouTube Video Recording, Andrew Young
Pocahontas is told by her father that she will marry one of the warriors of the tribe whether she wants to or not because it would be the smart decision for her (Scanlon, 2013). This shows the power of a man being able to decide who a woman should marry and her not having a say on the matter. But, unlike past films, Pocahontas does not fall into the oppression from the men in the movie. She keeps to her heart and stays bold. She constantly questions her father, whether it be about the marriage or the colonisers. Up until the very end of the movie when she throws herself over John Smith to save him she does not let her father’s dominance interfere with her heart. She is not programmed to act the way women were supposed to act at this time (Warner, 2014).
Source: (Disney, 2015)
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Pocahontas loves nature, spends her time exploring land and wants to bring peace to her people.
and be a mentor for her people. In the end she decides to leave John and stay with her people, which is seen as a break through for Disney (Warner, 2014).
Pocahontas is barely considered a "Princess", however their is still a degree of patriarchy within the film. First of all, Pocahontas is clearly oppressed because not only is she the “savage”, but she is also seen as less educated and uncivilised compared to John Smith (Scanlon, 2013). She is also dressed in very revealing clothing compared to John Smith or any of the other colonisers. Pocahontas wears very revealing clothing throughout the movie. She is in a tube top that reveals her stomach, and wears a very short skirt that reveals all of her legs. It is not only Pocahontas, but all of the women in this movie are dressed provocatively (Scanlon, 2013). Not only is Pocahontas oppressed by the colonisers, but also her father and the other men of her tribe. She is considered ignorant and naïve when she asks her father to listen to John Smith about not wanting to harm them. Also, when Pocahontas’ father was worried for her safety she was not allowed to go outside of their village unless another man was to accompany her (Scanlon, 2013). In this film, gender roles of masculinity and femininity are very prevalent in the Indians and the colonisers. Women in the tribe, including Pocahontas, are supposed to collect corn, stay in the village, and remain quiet when men are speaking (Scanlon, 2013). Men on the other hand are allowed to give their opinions, hunt outside of the village, and have all the power. The chief of the tribe, Pocahontas’ father, is a man and Pocahontas’s mother is not even in the film at all. On the coloniser’s side there are only men, not women. Only men were allowed to discover the “new land”, women had to stay home to look after the children and hold down the house. |