The symbolic universe in Avatar displays the harmony created between Navi and nature, and their respect towards it. This is quite a different concept of symbolic universe to what was displayed in the World’s fairs of the early 1900s. They presented symbolic universe and believed that the fantasy came from advancements in technology and science, and beliefs for a better life tomorrow. However, the beliefs of Navi in symbolic universe are portrayed through nature where Eywa; their mother of nature, helps them to get through every day and provide them with a belief in times of sorrow. The film concludes by leaving a moral message suggesting men should not take control of nature. However, this contrasts with Buffalo World’s fair 1901, where man is seen to have gained power over nature through generating electricity from Nigara Falls. Not only that, the film also concludes by showing viewers with importance of cultural unity and harmony. Again contrasting with Buffalo World’s fair where colours were used in architectural plans to show cultural hierarchy.
Reference
The social Construction of Reality, Society as Subjective Reality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Construction_of_Reality
Kihlstedt, F. T. (1986). Utopia Realized: The World’s Fairs of the 1930s. In Imagining Tomorrow: History Technology, and the American Future (pp. 97-119). Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America: MIT Press.
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