67 pages • 2 hours read
Hayao MiyazakiSpirited Away
Hayao MiyazakiFiction | Graphic Novel/Book | YA | Published in 2002A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
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Modern Humanity’s Abandonment of Spirituality and Nature
In Spirited Away, there is blatant disregard on the part of humans for the environment and the spiritual. In the Japanese Shinto religion, nature and spirituality are very much intertwined; thus, when a person disregards one, they also disregard the other. Modern humanity’s lack of concern and care for the natural world, which provides everything for them, is one of the reasons the spirits have closed themselves off in a place apart from humans inside the amusement park and across the river. Chihiro’s youth and natural instincts become an important strength as she navigates this new world in an attempt to free herself and her parents from it.
Chihiro’s parents show a lack of concern for nature in their words and actions. Chihiro’s mother says things like, “Some people believe tiny spirits live there” (19) when Chihiro points out a pile of discarded Hokora (Shinto shrines) on the side of the road. Hokora shrines are usually placed very neatly and intentionally; depicting them as being discarded like trash symbolizes peoples’ disconnection from this natural and spiritual world. Chihiro’s father bursts through the trees at full speed, believing himself to be invincible to whatever nature might throw at him. Mother’s and Father’s arrogance leads them into a trap that results in their being turned into pigs and forces Chihiro to find a way to save them. In contrast to Chihiro’s parents, Haku (who is later revealed to be a river spirit) is distinctively connected to nature, and it is from nature that he sources his powers: “In the name of the wind and water within thee…unbind her” (112).
Because Chihiro is still a young child, she is not yet disconnected from her intuition and natural awareness of danger as her parents are. She senses the threats very early, from when her father makes a wrong turn. Her parents see her concerns as childish nonsense and ignore and then mock her, and they continue to do so until they are transformed into hogs. Chihiro tells her parents to turn back each step of the way (“Come on, you guys. Let’s get out of here” (35)). This intuition helps save Chihiro from the same fate as her parents because she refrains from eating the food or interfering with the spirit world. In this way, Father and Mother’s disconnect from nature and spirituality becomes their tragic flaw, and it is up to their young daughter to reverse their foolish error.
The Dangers of Decadence and Greed
Spirited Away illustrates a central theme that warns against greed, gluttony, and decadence. Presumably, because Chihiro is a young child, she has not yet fallen victim to these vices. However, her parents have, and clues pointing to this emerge in the story’s exposition. Chihiro’s mother appears quite well-to-do, has her hair up and neat, and wears big gold earrings and bright lipstick. She always seems to have an arrogant scowl or smirk on her face. Chihiro’s mother complains about the remoteness of the new house, saying, “This really is in the middle of nowhere. I’m going to have to go to the next town to shop” (6), which implies that shopping is a priority for her. Another clue is within the manga’s images: as Chihiro lies in the back seat of the car, she is surrounded by all sorts of bags, packages, garbage, and other items. The consequences of greed are foreshadowed subtly when No-Face, a greedy spirit, appears on the bridge to the bathhouse as Chihiro and Haku are crossing it. Chihiro will need to learn to tame the greedy spirit to save the bathhouse and thus her family.
When Chihiro and her parents reach the amusement park and cross the river to the “other side,” Chihiro’s mother and father smell delicious food. They instinctively follow the smell, remarking, “Hey, you smell that?” “Yeah, and I’m starving. Something smells delicious” (51). Moments before, they thought the amusement park was closed down, but that observation is ignored or forgotten when they smell the food. With reckless abandon, they follow the smell and find a long street filled with restaurants that seem to be open. Despite finding no workers to pay, the parents begin eating from endless platters of food, most of which they do not recognize. Chihiro warns them they may get in trouble, but Father believes his credit cards and cash will make things right. Chihiro watches in horror as her parents, who are supposed to be much more mature and wiser, devour the food without concern for consequences. When she later finds them transformed into pics, they are still eating, and Chihiro’s father stuffs himself to exhaustion, falling over onto the ground. Because of the parents’ greedy mistake, Chihiro is now trapped and must work to save them.
How Love Propels One Toward Bravery and Maturity
In Spirited Away, Book 1, protagonist Chihiro is put into a position where she must be brave to save her family. Chihiro is only 10, and she has never had to do anything for herself. She is introduced as a typical girl upset about moving to a new home, and her parents act as if her concerns and emotions are meaningless or invalid. It is clear from the first frame in which Chihiro is shown and the manga’s cover that she is upset to the point of numbness. She holds her bouquet from her best friend and stares at the top of the car.
Chihiro’s character begins to change the moment she is placed in the vulnerable position of being alone. Her parents make the foolish decision to eat the spirits’ food and are turned into pigs, leaving Chihiro to fend for herself. Her parents lack the self-control to avoid touching food that is not theirs. On the other hand, Chihiro repeatedly warns them: “We’re going to get in trouble. Let’s just get out of here” (60). She is the voice of reason and temperance. When Chihiro runs to find help, she returns to find her parents are no longer her humans. Haku finds her, and when she tells him, “I don’t want to be alone. Don’t leave me!” (137), he explains that she will have no choice if she wants to save her parents. In other words, Chihiro will need to become courageous and independent to do what is necessary to bring them back.
Chihiro refuses to give up on her parents. Although they have flaws and have prioritized their desires over caring for her, she loves them deeply and will do anything for them. Therefore, she is willing to do whatever Haku tells her she must. Haku tells Chihiro that she must seek “Kamaji, the boiler man” (141) and ask him for work. Yubaba will have to house her if she obtains a job, which will be the first step in saving her parents. Chihiro follows Haku’s instructions and navigates her way down a huge flight of rotting wooden stairs to the boiler room. In doing so, she displays her first act of true bravery, despite screaming all the way down. As Chihiro enters the boiler room, she also passes through the doorway from childhood to adolescence, propelled all the while by a deep love for her mother and father.
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