I was watching Avatar: The Last Airbender episode “The Puppetmaster” tonight and thinking about how Avatar’s writers seem to approach the elements. While they present the four traditional elements- air, fire, earth, and water- they seem to work with them in a nearly Chinese way at times.
For example, Earthbender Toph can also manipulate metal, something not really covered by the classical elements. It makes sense, though. Metals (as we work with them) as mined from the ground and galvanized or blended with other metal ores. It’s just interesting to note she can bend both earth and metal, and that it’s been presented that way.
Waterbenders, as you find out in “The Puppetmaster”, can draw their water from anywhere, including plants and animals. It’s this universal way of thinking that ends up being truly disturbing by the time Avatar is done exploring the possibilities of waterbenders controlling the people around them simply by bending the water inside them.
The writers, in effect, bend traditional interpretations to create their stories.
Edit: This was written before I learned the series was ending.
Posted by Rebecca as animation, anthropology, symbolism at 7:53 PM EDT