Spirited Away: The Insufficiency of Modern Capitalism Part III

CAPITALIST WEALTH AS AN INSUFFICIENT MEANS OF FINDING HAPPINESS

What is ironic about the Yuya, as a modern portrait of capitalist society, is how the vulnerability of the manager is exposed as much as the vulnerability of the workforce and consumers. Even with all of her power, Yubaba’s position is a fragile one, dependent on the labor of her lower class workers and the continuous function of the Yuya. Yubaba must assume a role of inferiority when she greets the flamboyant spirits who frequent the Yuya as well. Indeed, consumers represent the beginning point of power within capitalistic society. However, in Spirited Away, even consumers are not safe from the dangers of unchecked consumption. Chihiro’s parents serve as the film’s classic case. The capitalistic consumer often becomes drunk with the power that money can afford, confidently overstepping boundaries in a drunken stupor. Picking up a plate of succulent meat, Chihiro’s parents begin gorging on unpaid-for food, smiling as they exclaim “Don’t worry, you’ve got daddy here. He’s got credit cards and cash.” In a twist of irony, her parents soon literally become capitalist pigs.

Most visible in Spirited Away is Miyazaki’s message concerning the dangers of greed. No-Face, a formless black blob whom sneaks into the Yuya, is a perfect symbol for the vacuous association of wealth with happiness. Greed has completely eaten away all which once made No-Face an individual, and he wanders around the Yuya aimlessly during the first half of the film as a container without a soul. However, as the film progresses, No-Face demonstrates what makes greed so dangerous: it’s contagious. Producing gold spontaneously, No-Face feeds on the greed of individual workers, luring each on down an unsuspecting path of gold before consuming them whole. Just as capitalism grows and gorges itself on the suffering of the lower-class, No-Face becomes fatter and fatter as he consumes more workers. The only one who No-Face cannot trick is Chihiro whose heart seeks something more valuable than mere gold. No-Face can only lash out in anger as he realizes the insufficiency of wealth as a means of acquiring what he genuinely desires.

The ruling class in Spirited Away is living a life of damnation parading as paradise. The only character in the film who experiences Yubaba’s motherly affection is Bo, yet, her affection is merely a side consideration. Zeneba, Yubaba’s sister, punishes her for forcing Haku to steal her magical gold seal by placing a curse on Bo and Haku. After he is healed, Haku confronts Yubaba, asking “You haven’t noticed something precious to you which has been replaced?” Frantically grabbing for a piece of gold, Yubaba smirks when she confirms the intactness of her wealth, completely forgetting her son. Indeed, Zeneba is one of the few characters in Spirited Away with an awareness of the vanity of money, pleasure, and materialism. Chihiro finds herself journeying to Zeneba’s house in order to uplift the curse she placed on Haku and Bo near the end of the film. Zeneba’s house, unlike Yubaba’s, is simple and modest, representative of a pre-capitalistic society of agricultural sustainability. As Zeneba knits, she remarks “I can do it with magic, but it does not mean anything,” recognizing how unnecessary magic or “capital” really is.

So, why do we study film? Film is a gateway into the human condition, a specialized lens which reshapes our social reality, bringing both its beauty and horror center stage. Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, yearning to be analyzed via a Marxist lens, is as much a condemnation of modern capitalism as it is a promotion of human values. As Chihiro makes her way in the Wonderland-esque world of the Yuya, Miyazaki sheds light on the system of modern capitalism and how we interact with it as full-fledged participants, flushing out the lopsided power dynamic between Japan and the West, suffocating characteristic of social hierarchy, and depravity in associating capital as an end all for finding happiness. Ironically, Miyazaki makes use of a fictional dream world in order to snap viewers out of the dream of sustainable capitalism and to highlight the wounds festering beneath the surface in a world of overt commercialism and materialism. Miyazaki is showcasing his desire for a Japan of old, a way of living once embraced before our world was spirited away.