Jim On Film
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In addition to this, Pocahontas is more than just moving entertainment. The film also challenges viewers to reconstruct their worldview by presenting, through natural dialogue, ideas that cause the viewer to think in new ways. One such instance is when Pocahontas and John Smith sit down to talk at the edge of the river. In conversation, John Smith comments on the strangeness of the Native words he has learned. The viewer, too, sees his point (even though most Americans have a familiarity with Native American words), but then Pocahontas comments on how the English have "most unusual" names as well, bringing to the forefront the name John Smith, which happens to be one of the most common name combinations on the tongue of most Americans, since it is a generic name thrown out as easily as John Doe. This simple conversation (which also includes a great scene of Pocahontas experiencing her first handshake), highlights cultural differences and how greatly perspectives can vary.

This theme, which builds in the film, is also made apparent in another brilliant section of dialogue. When John Smith calls Pocahontas’ people savages (and uncivilized), she highlights one of the fundamental concepts in cultural understanding when she redefines the word by saying, "What you mean is, not like you." This addresses many instances in life, like, for example, if someone unfamiliar with a black church attends one, he or she might be surprised to see that verbal responses to the sermons are not only common but expected. The unfamiliar person may leave the service saying it is childish, disorderly, or uncouth. Or, for that matter, it is like someone unfamiliar with a white (or traditional suburban) church walking into a church where the congregation is quiet during the sermon and leaving, saying that the congregation was unengaged, unspiritual, or stuffy. It is only a matter of cultural differences, as so many things are, and yet, this simple line from Pocahontas brings to light the basic root of cultural misunderstandings--misinterpreted differences. It’s an eye-opener.

In a similar fashion, the film uses eye-opening lines to illustrate the subject of natural aesthetics/non-financial happiness. During one of their meetings, John Smith tells Pocahontas that his men are looking for gold, which he describes as being yellow, coming out of the ground, and being really valuable. Pocahontas shows him gold, true gold--an ear of corn. Besides being another example of cultural misunderstanding, it’s a vivid illustration of wealth. Which of the two items are intrinsically more valuable--the one that can be grown and provide nourishment or the one that has human value placed upon it solely for its visual quality? It is the natural presentation of lines like these that help make Pocahontas powerful.

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The film also contains a number of symbols to help communicate its themes and ideas, which is a fairly rare occurrence in any film. Early on, as Ratcliffe boards the ship, a rat, which becomes a visual symbol for Ratcliffe (notice his name), sneaks on board as well. The animal characters of Meeko, Flit, and Percy become more than comic relief but a symbol for the relationship between the New World characters and the Old World characters, visualizing both their battles and their final ability to make peace. John Smith is, as clearly identified in the film, represented by the spinning arrow in Pocahontas’ dream, showing that he is the one Pocahontas was destined to meet and, as a result, with whom she would change the course of her people and of the English.

As for Pocahontas herself, as established in the song "Just Around the Riverbend," she is represented by the unsteady river which cannot be held by boundaries. When John Smith meets Pocahontas, it is in the river, surrounded by untamed beauty as he faces, what he perceives to be, untamed beauty. The three Native American words he speaks to her as they get to know each other by the river are, in sequence, two river names followed by Pocahontas. This image is reinforced early in the film as Pocahontas faces a fork in the river while in her canoe. To the left is the steady river, wide and easy to navigate, and to the right is the small, winding river, the one that will provide excitement, challenge, and promise. When she chooses the winding river, it not only foreshadows the events to follow, it symbolizes her own personality.