Analyzing James Cameron’s Avatar The film is set on the lush alien planet of Pandora. Humans have arrived to extract the rare mineral Unobtanium from it; however, their efforts are met with resistance from the indigenous people. Against this backdrop, Jake Sully – a paraplegic Marine who had taken over his dead brother’s avatar - attempts to integrate into this unfamiliar environment is played out through his romantic relationship with an indigenous Na’vi woman, Neytiri. This essay will identify ethnocentrism by relating it to the concept of romanticism. Ethnocentrism is defined by Lundberg (2012) as the assumption that one’s native culture is the most natural, and therefore – the best. Non-native cultures are perceived as bizarre, and the result of a lack of intelligence.…show more content… Parker Selfridge, the head of operations on Pandora, has used the derogatory term “blue monkeys” in reference to the Na’vi. He is unwilling to understand Na’vi culture – in order to get the largest deposit of Unobtanium, he was willing to destroy a sacred site (the Hometree) and by extension, a Na’vi village (Cameron, 2007). The Na’vi are similarly disdainful – Tsu’tey, a young warrior, regularly calls humans “demons”. Na’vi generally view humans as thick-headed, and unable to learn anything more about Na’vi culture due to their arrogance, as can be inferred from the quote: “We have tried to teach other Sky People. It is hard to fill a cup which is already full.” (Cameron,