In the Lion King, the storytellers use the hero’s spiritual death and rebirth plotline to reveal how we as humans want our leaders to overcome obstacles to prove themselves worthy of leadership. In other words, we want our heroes to have experienced tragedy, to suffer emotionally from this tragedy, and then to become stronger as a result so they may lead us to salvation through their new wisdom. Without tragedy, we do not trust the leader has enough experience to lead us through difficult times.
At the beginning of the Lion King, Simba was simply a fortunate son of a King who was set to gain power through inheritance without any sort of challenge set before him. Simba is confident, but without experiences to make him confident. He …show more content…
After his father’s death, Simba runs away from Pride Rock, highlighted by a scene with him passed out in the desert with vultures circling him, all of which present strong imagery of death. Simba falls into a deep depression and leaves behind his inheritance to wallow in the tragedy. He metaphorically dies, losing faith in his father, in society, in the future, and in himself. As viewers, we watch Simba suffer and feel closer to him in his suffering than in his cocky ignorance. He has become humanized. Simba falls deeply into denial, living a life of paradise, free of responsibility. He now sings with Timon and Pumbaa about “Hakuna Matata,” or living your life with no worries. But we can tell from his long looks at the sky that he is hiding his deep sadness. When Timon and Pumbaa start theorizing about what creates stars, Simba recalls wisdom from his late father, and we see him mope away as he remembers the loss of his father. We have sympathy for him, but, like confident parents, we know that this tragedy is good for …show more content…
After defeating Scar in battle, Simba slowly walks to the top of Pride Rock, as rain pours on him. The rain, as a form of water, represents Simba’s ultimate rebirth; his ascent up to Pride Rock symbolizes his progress back up to true leadership. As we close the movie, the creatures of his kingdom reappear around Simba, Nala, and their new child as they reprise “The Circle of Life.” The members of his kingdom swell in support around Simba, for they can see that Simba is not just physically stronger, but he is now ready to lead. He has spiritually died and is reborn and can only now help them regain their own emotional, spiritual and physical
At the beginning of the Lion King, Simba was simply a fortunate son of a King who was set to gain power through inheritance without any sort of challenge set before him. Simba is confident, but without experiences to make him confident. He …show more content…
After his father’s death, Simba runs away from Pride Rock, highlighted by a scene with him passed out in the desert with vultures circling him, all of which present strong imagery of death. Simba falls into a deep depression and leaves behind his inheritance to wallow in the tragedy. He metaphorically dies, losing faith in his father, in society, in the future, and in himself. As viewers, we watch Simba suffer and feel closer to him in his suffering than in his cocky ignorance. He has become humanized. Simba falls deeply into denial, living a life of paradise, free of responsibility. He now sings with Timon and Pumbaa about “Hakuna Matata,” or living your life with no worries. But we can tell from his long looks at the sky that he is hiding his deep sadness. When Timon and Pumbaa start theorizing about what creates stars, Simba recalls wisdom from his late father, and we see him mope away as he remembers the loss of his father. We have sympathy for him, but, like confident parents, we know that this tragedy is good for …show more content…
After defeating Scar in battle, Simba slowly walks to the top of Pride Rock, as rain pours on him. The rain, as a form of water, represents Simba’s ultimate rebirth; his ascent up to Pride Rock symbolizes his progress back up to true leadership. As we close the movie, the creatures of his kingdom reappear around Simba, Nala, and their new child as they reprise “The Circle of Life.” The members of his kingdom swell in support around Simba, for they can see that Simba is not just physically stronger, but he is now ready to lead. He has spiritually died and is reborn and can only now help them regain their own emotional, spiritual and physical