In his British-American movie "The New World," Terrence Malick depicts the establishment of the Virginia colony. Pocahontas seems to be at the center of the two civilizations as Terrence Malick attempts to picture how two civilizations meet and attempt to relate to one another because she is adored by all. It has been sexually violent against Native Americans for a very long time. These actions can be seen as colonial tools because they were common during the colonization era. Even though there are many factors that can add to sexual abuse, one attitude that encourages sexual violence is how Native American women are portrayed as objects of lust. Pocahontas has been viewed as a sexual being or as a sexual object in the “New World Film” in several instances (Barker 66).
Smith sees Pocahontas as a sex object during their first encounter. In his thoughts, he thinks she is the very image of the earthly beauty since her mouth is well-painted blues, and her hair is woven using moss strands. Later in the day after being set free by Chief Powhatan, Smith follows Pocahontas and attempts to talk to her. He keeps following her even in the darkness because he thinks Pocahontas is very beautiful and has all the attractive qualities a woman can have. At some point, the wind flutters Pocahontas’ short skirt making Smith’s heart to skip a beat. The short skirt is a sign to show that Pocahontas is depicted as a sexual being in the film and the skipping of Smith’s heart shows how he is sexually attracted to her (Chew, Saar and Yoshikawa 104).
Furthermore, when Chief Powhatan sees Smith with her daughter, he starts paying attention to them even though he is not jealousy. The chief may be thought that Smith does not love her daughter but rather sees her as a sexual being because of her natural beauty and outfit and may take advantage of Pocahontas. Powhatan views Smith as a strange bird, and he does not trust him fully with his daughter.
Pocahontas appearance made her respected by everyone including Chief Powhatan. When the prospects of the settlement were ruined by supply shortages, poor discipline, and disease, Smith decides to take a group of people upriver to seek a trade. During his mission, a group of Native Americans and taken to their Chief Powhatan. The chief interrogates Smith and decides to execute him. However, when Pocahontas intervenes the main changes his mind and sets Smith free. The chief might not have been sexually attracted to Pocahontas because she is his daughter, but he respects her since people respect her appearance, particularly men (Blasi 14).
Pocahontas is also depicted as a sexual object when he meets Rolfe, and he starts seducing her asking for marriage. Rolfe insists that he would give up everything including land, and his friends to get her. Even after being told that Pocahontas would marry him and not love him Rolfe accepted because he thought she was very beautiful to be with. Rolfe immediately begins planning his marriage with the Jamestown elders. Moreover, when Captain Smith went to look for Pocahontas in Rolfe’s homestead, he founds her and complements her looks. Smith seems to be attracted more to her than before as he even tells her that life seems to have favored Pocahontas after they parted ways. He asks jealously about the man she is currently married to and goes directly to complement her looks. Smith narrates to her how people in England were so attracted to her, after being informed by his friends. He then looks into her attractive eyes and quickly grabs her hand holding it like a trapped bird. The relationship between John Rolfe and Pocahontas is much publicized because no one expected Pocahontas with her beautiful features to fall in love with John Rolfe. The relationship was a potential turning point in the European-Indian relations (Barker 71).
The film also portrays Pocahontas protectively covering Smith with her naked body. This image is a great evidence illustrating that Pocahontas is viewed as a sexual object not only by characters but the filmmaker as well. Pocahontas can be seen wearing a loincloth, and her torso is uncovered showing her breasts. She places her right arm on Smith’s shoulders and prevents a Native American from hurting Smith with her left arm. Moreover, Pocahontas gives an impression of a built woman which is a desirable quality of the time. She is depicted as malnourished, but a woman of a good standing. When Pocahontas is compared to other Native Americans, she lacks the features that were viewed as generic icons for every Indian, like arrows, quivers, and the feather headdresses. Surprisingly, Pocahontas was barely 12 years old at that time. However, she is portrayed as a fully grown woman with an adult-like look and full breasts (Blasi 11).
Furthermore, Pocahontas also admits being a sexual object in the “New World.” She claims that to be a good Indian; she must be an object of lust with men, a mother to Indian children, and a lover and partner of Indian men. She protected Smith like a mother protecting her child in the presence of Indian men. Pocahontas symbolizes an object of lust and sexual desire as her breasts are in contact with the face of Smith. Pocahontas has also been depicted as a sexual object in many ways when he hangs out with Smith. When she decides to take Smith to the river they swim and bath together naked. Pocahontas also provides breakfast for him and shows him her favorite trees as a way of protecting and caring for Smith. She narrates to Smith how birds migrate, shows him where the blueberries, and turkey’s nests can be found. Pocahontas can also be seen admiring herself as a sexual object in front of the mirror while combing her hair, until Smith asks her if she intends to spend the rest of her life admiring herself. Moreover, during their second encounter after Pocahontas met the king and queen of England she seems unhappy because she thinks she is no longer the blithe being Smith met at first and that her natural gaiety has vanished (Blasi 21).
The clothing and physique of Pocahontas strongly attract men towards her. Since Native Americans view physique and clothing as sexual, they tend to be attracted to Pocahontas. These elements of visual aspects overlap with the storyline and characteristics elements to distinguish Pocahontas from white women who are romantic, demure, and delicate.
Also, Pocahontas is viewed as a sexual object when he arrives in England before the King and Queen, their majesties James and Anne. Her noble bearing and coal-dark eyes send tremors in the court as she walks in. King James also seems to be sexually attracted to her, and he starts asking her to tell her more about where she came from and her family. The way she describes her home and family makes the king to kiss her hand resulting in murmurs of surprise through the court (Chew, Saar and Yoshikawa 104).
Smith finds Pocahontas more sexually attractive after meeting the king and queen of England than before. He holds her hand and starts kissing her even after she expressed disinterest in him. However, Pocahontas decides to kiss him and let him go. Several weeks after their meeting they decide to spend hours together. They feed each other berries and other wild fruits while skipping stones in the shores. However, when Smith sees the tattoos on Pocahontas, he starts caressing her shoulder may be due to sexual arousal after seeing her body.
Conclusion
The New World film has depicted Pocahontas as a sexual being on numerous occasions especially on her encounter with prominent men like Captain Smith and Rifle, and this attribute grants her respect in the entire film. Her father, Chief Powhatan respects and adores her a lot because of the sexual interest she generates in men who she meets. The clothing and physique of Pocahontas strongly attract men towards her. Pocahontas is portrayed to give an impression of a built woman which is a desirable quality of the time, and this makes her be seen as a sexual being. Her outfits also supported the idea that she was depicted as a sexual object in the film.
References
Barker, Joanne. "Beyond Pocahontas." Beyond the Frame. Palgrave Macmillan US, 2005. 61-76.
Blasi, Gabriella. "The Cinematic Life of the Figural: Mapping Shapes of Time in Terrence Malick’s The New World (2005)." Cinema: Journal of Philosophy and the Moving Image 7 (2015): 11-27.
Chew, Hank Corwin, Saar Klein, and Mark Yoshikawa. "The New World (2005 film)." The Ben Mendelsohn Handbook-Everything you need to know about Ben Mendelsohn (2013): 104.
