Moana Archetypes

General Information Moana is a heroic tale of a young girl who sets out on a journey to save her island. The opening scene tells a story of the shapeshifting god, Maui, who has stolen the heart of the goddess Te Fiti. After stealing the heart Maui battles a lava god named Te Ka and loses, disappearing for centuries.

The film revolves around the character Moana who at a young age discovers a love and special connection with the ocean. However, Moana’s father, Chief Tui, forbids Moana from going out on the ocean because he believes it to be too dangerous. Instead Chief Tui attempts at preparing Moana to be the next island leader. Moana grows concerned as their island, Motunui, is dying, she believes it has to do with the heart of Te Fiti.

One day when Moana’s grandmother, Tala, takes Moana to a cave where Moana learns that their people used to be voyagers, which is a type of nomadic people who continually sailed the ocean. Just before she dies, Grandma Tala shows Moana that the ocean has chosen her to find Maui and return Te Fiti’s heart.

Moana then sails beyond the reef, with her

Two that were very clear were Jung’s archetypes of the self and persona. The self is who we truly are, the sum of all our conscious and unconscious thoughts, beliefs, etc. While persona is who we present ourselves to be, like the metaphorical mask that we wear when we interact with others. In the film we can see these archetypes represented through Maui and Mini Maui, the miniature anthropomorphic tattoo of Maui that roams Maui’s back and chest. Mini Maui represents the self because he shows the true emotions and thoughts that Maui seems to be feeling. While Maui himself is the persona because he hides behind a mask of grandeur and self-importance. Maui’s other tattoos represent the self as well because they only show up when he has earned them by going through a battle, journey or traumatic