Chiadikobi Chukwu

Mr. Thompson
English 1301-27
November 12, 2016
Avatar Research Paper
Throughout the movie Avatar, the director James Cameron reinforces the literary device
of symbolism. Unity was strongly symbolized in Avatar, because it was the center point of how
the Navi people survived the harsh treatment from humans. Unity also illustrates how Cameron
was able to rewrite historical events that had occurred in the real world before the events in the
movie took place. Cameron was able to symbolize unity by using Toruk, the Tree of Souls, and
Eywa to promote a sense of family and togetherness within the Navi peoples community.
Firstly, James Cameron uses Toruk to symbolize unity. Toruk was a dragon- predator that
was sacred, feared, and well-respected by the Navi people. When the Avatar Jake Sully rode into
the sacred Tree of Souls with Toruk to regain the trust of the Navi people, they were shocked.
James Cameron uses Toruk to symbolize unity by showing viewers how the Navi people
wholeheartedly put their trust in Sully after his wrongdoings. The Navi people believed that
Sully being connected to Toruk would only happen if Eywa the Navi people goddess trusted
him. With the help of Toruk, Sully was able to unite all Navi people from around Pandora to
come together and attack the Resource Development Administration who were intent to destroy
the omaticaya clan land. Toruk symbolizes unity because forming a relationship was the only

way all Navi people listened to a Navi Human hybrid like Jake sully, trusting him to unite and
lead them to victory against the Resource development Administration whom only go was to
destroy their land.
Furthermore, Cameron also uses the Tree of Souls to symbolize unity. The Tree of Souls
symbolizes unity, because it is a way for all Navi people to unite together as one in times of
hardship. When all Navi need to connect to Eywa, their goddess, they must link the hairs
together while sitting at the Tree of Souls to interact with Eywa. Cameron uses the Tree of Souls
to show unity amongst the Navi people by illustrating their connection to each other to resolve
all problems. When they faced against the RDA together, it was because they prayed to Eywa as
a united front at the Tree of Souls sacred ground. The Tree of Soul is a connection to the Navi
people ancestors. It is significant in uniting them with their ancestors creating a sense of family
united together. Cameron also utilizes the Tree of Soul to show unity by describing how the
Navi people protected the tree during the war, and united together with other Navi clans to fight
for the Tree of Souls. The Tree of Soul shows the Navi people united together. It is from the
Tree of Souls that the get their powers, or rejuvenate themselves to feel stronger when fighting
off attacks. The Tree of Souls symbolizes unity, because just like Toruk, it brought the Navi
people together, uniting them as one to fight off their attackers from destroying the Navis
sacred land.
Lastly, James Cameron uses Eywa to symbolize unity. Cameron uses Eywa to symbolism
unity amongst the Navi people, because it is through Eywa that all Navi unite and connect to
Pandoras surroundings. Eywa represents unity, because she unites every living being on Pandora
together. The Navi people view Eywa as their god, whom they worship together as a family. The
Navi people cannot connect to Eywa without connecting all of their antennae to each other,

which is then gathered in one connecting to the root of the Tree of Souls then to Eywa. Without
uniting together under Eywa the Navi can never pray to their goddess. Eywa controls the
Pandoran wildlife. With Eywa blessings the Pandoran wildlife were able to help the Navi in the
war to defeat the RDA. All creatures on Pandora derive from Eywa. Cameron uses Eywa to
establish unity by showing a strong connection between a leader and its followers. Cameron in
Avatar describes Eywa, when he has a character state Only their deity! Their Goddess, made up
of all living things (Norm, Avatar). Cameron uses this to demonstrate the importance of Eywa to
the Navi people. Without Eywa the Navis are unable to come together in unity to fight any
adversity they are faced with nor will they connect to each other on a superior level. Eywa
strongly unite the Navi people in various ways, because it is through her the Navi exist.
James Cameron uses the literary device symbolism to showcase unity in Avatar. Cameron
throughout Avatar constantly showed the unity amongst the Navi people, when they came
together to fight against the RDA. Cameron uses the Toruk, Tree of Soul, and Eywa to symbolize
unity, by constantly using these examples to repeat in the movie how the coming together of
creatures living in Pandora helped them in their fight. Unity is symbolized a lot in Pandora by
Cameron to help his readers better understand and interpret the conditions of the Navi people
and how they unified as one to stop the destruction of their land. Which also promotes the sense
of family between the people of Pandora.

Works cited
Avatar. Dir. James Cameron. Twentieth Century Fox, 2009. DVD.