Nausicaa, Freud, Nature and Technology

Due to the question posed by Professor Cohen and the subsequent discussion about nature and technology on Thursday, I began thinking about the idea that, out of the three races in Nausicaa, there is no "nature representative." I think this connects to the Freud reading we looked at a little while ago as well.

The Tolmekians are clearly metal, robotic, technological fiends. They represent the idea (as someone said, I think) that the world can be saved through technology. Their M.O. is to burn, shoot, and destroy everything that stands in their way. And of course, the Tolmekians are the antagonists and villains in Nausicaa. So, through the Tolmekians, Miyazaki is apparently saying that the purely technological path is the wrong one. "Complete industrialization leads to foolhardiness," Miyazaki seems to say.

The Pejiteians are strange guerilla characters, somewhere between the Valley of the Wind dwellers and the Tolmekians, as people have pointed out. But on the whole, I think they, like the Tolmekians, rely on technology more than nature. The image of the lone Pejiteian gunship inexplicably wreaking havoc against the bulky Tolmekian ships and forces is emblematic of the Pejiteians in my mind (and, as a side note, similar to the respective damage dealt by Vyse's group on the Valuans in the previously-mentioned Skies of Arcadia or the Animorphs' attacks on the Yeerks in K. A. Applegate's book series Animorphs).

I think that the strange and interesting thing about the Valley of the Wind dwellers is that they are not purely nature representatives. It is true that they use wind, a natural source of energy. But the VW dwellers have flamethrowers, weapons, and ships (both of which imply some type of forging, i.e. fire). As pointed out, even Nausicaa, the most peaceful and arguably the lowest-tech character in the film, wears gunpowder shells in her uniform. The VW dwellers aren't purely peaceful, happy-go-lucky farmers and laborers. Rather, it seems they have the proper perspective of integrating nature with technology in a less destructive way. Their philosophy is that a little fire is useful while too much is dangerous.

Through the VW dwellers, I think that Miyazaki is saying that a view that entirely eschews technology is no less dangerous or foolhardy as one that embraces it wholly. Even Nausicaa relies on technology (deadly technology, even) to aid her in the end of the film-- she fires an automatic weapon at the two Pejitean guys and boards their flying vessel. However, she doesn't kill anyone, either. She has the proper perspective of integration, which in the end saves the world.

Miyazaki's message seems to be at odds with Freud's theory that animism leads to religion, which leads to a scientific perspective. In Nausicaa, the Valley dwellers seem to have properly integrated all three of these supposed 'stages' into one whole. They are, I would argue, animistic-- they recognize the soul and value of the earth. They are religious-- they believe in prophecy and one or more Gods-- Nausicaa prays at at least two points in the film. And they have technology, as has been thoroughly pointed out, which Nausicaa also highlights by her culturing of plants in her secret hideout.