Historical Pocahontas example essay topic

The animated version of the Pocahontas story is a really romantic fantasy. In the movie Pocahontas and Captain Smith fall in love with each other without paying attention to enmity and hostility between their people. In comparison to real story the animated version is provided with romantic parting of the young girl and John Smith. In the beginning of the movie Pocahontas is a young woman. She is beauty and grace. She was tall with long muscular legs and arms, although she possessed a tiny waist and huge breasts.

Her body was similar to Barbie doll. The interesting fact is that many feminists argued that such unrealistic body will raise unhealthy interest. Pocahontas was based also on the type of top fashion models. (Pecora 1999) The main difference between animated and historical characters is actually appearance, which was too perfected in the movie. In the film Pocahontas has dark skin, long dark hair, black eyes and full sensitive mouth. Her appearance was based on other cartoon characters and not on historical person.

Therefore it is possible to admit that Pocahontas is rather modern version of historical background. Historical Pocahontas was a prototype, but not identity. (Barbour 1970) Nevertheless characters had similar traits. They were independent, courageous, athletic and adventurous. They were enjoying nature. Pocahontas was strong and she was never "stumbling through the woods as a helpless female when she is pursued by some villain".

The main characters of Pocahontas were: she was confident in her physical abilities; she was sensual in the pleasure of nature. In the movie Pocahontas was playful, spontaneous, mischievous and defiant. Their images are highly-energetic and dominant in the history of America. Both characters were striving for peace and better living and they played important roles: historical Pocahontas in real world and Disney Pocahontas in animated world.

(Pecora 1999) It was a common knowledge that Pocahontas didn't live happily even with Prince unlike other heroines. And there is the obvious parallel with historical character. In such a way she was paying dearly for all her strong traits. At the end of the animated film Smith was wounded and had to be returned to England for professional medical care and treatment. Pocahontas is really strong, because she realizes that she is needed by her people and her destiny is to stay with them. Nevertheless the end of the movies can't be considered completely dramatic.

The real Pocahontas married a white man and traveled to England. Pecora admits that this fact "can be viewed on the one hand as a subtext that a strong woman cannot have it all and on the other hand as Disney's inability to imagine sanctioning an interracial relationship in one of its animated films". (Pecora 1999) It means that strong characters have to overcome difficulties and to achieve romantic ending.