What would you do if you were suddenly thrown into a world that was dark, cruel, and confusing — and left completely on your own to survive?

Sometimes, the world we live in can feel exactly like that. When everything familiar is stripped away, and you don’t know whom to trust or where to turn, how do you find your way through?

In Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, we follow Chihiro — a young girl who is left to fend for herself in a strange spirit world after her parents fall victim to their consumerist cravings. Although the film is open to many interpretations, one theme stands out clearly: how Chihiro learns to survive in a world that is not just uncertain, but deeply cruel and confusing. She doesn’t just endure it. She learns how to overcome it.

The Friend Who Wasn’t Always a Friend: Haku

The first person Chihiro meets in the spirit world is Haku. He seems calm, composed, and knowledgeable, and immediately offers her help and protection. Chihiro trusts him, believing that with Haku’s help, she might find her way home.

But the next time they meet, Haku treats her with coldness and distance. He barely acknowledges her, and even Lin, another character Chihiro later meets, seems to dislike him. Confused, Chihiro wonders whether there are two people named Haku — how could someone be so kind in one moment and so harsh in another?

This moment is Chihiro’s first hard lesson: not everyone who seems trustworthy is free to be who they truly are. And in a world ruled by manipulation and fear, even friends can be controlled. Yet when she discovers Haku’s identity as the river spirit, and understands the spell that bound him, she learns that while simple trust may not be enough. However, faithful love can free people from the darkness that holds them.

Grit, Boundaries, and Boldness: Lin

Then comes Lin – not exactly warm, but unmistakably strong. Lin knows the rules of the spirit world, and she doesn’t waste time sugar-coating them. She’s ambitious, bold, and sharp. She doesn’t allow anyone to push her around, whether it’s arrogant customers or obnoxious co-workers.

Chihiro finds in Lin not only a mentor but a mirror: someone who shows her how to stand her ground, think for herself, and get the job done, even when everything around her feels threatening. With Lin, Chihiro begins to see that survival in this world isn’t just about escape. It’s about learning how to endure with wisdom.

The Power to Wield Power: Yubaba and Zeniba 

Yubaba is the witch who controls the bathhouse. She makes Chihiro’s life miserable, giving her a job only after much resistance, and stealing her name in the process. She casts a slug spell on Haku, binding him to her will. Chihiro realizes that Yubaba’s control isn’t just magical. It’s deeply psychological. She twists loyalty, warps names, and makes people forget who they are.

But when Chihiro accidentally squashes the slug, the spell breaks. She is no longer bound by fear. Haku is free to remember his true name. And Chihiro learns something powerful: that real love cannot be manipulated. No spell can overpower the sincerity of friendship and truth.

Later, Chihiro meets Zeniba, Yubaba’s twin sister. Though she’s also a witch, Zeniba is kind and warm. She tells Chihiro the truth and blesses her with a magic hair tie as a sign of her protection. Through Zeniba, Chihiro sees that power is not evil. It is how it’s used that reveals its nature.

Surviving Against All Odds: Chihiro’s Journey Towards Home 

When Chihiro finally returns home, she isn’t the same girl who arrived in the spirit world, crying and afraid. She’s learned to think, to choose, to stand, and to love wisely. Her world no longer revolves around her. But she also knows now that she has the strength to walk through difficult paths, and that even when the world feels like it’s against her, the friendships she forms and the courage she builds are enough to keep her going.

Chihiro’s journey is more than a fantasy tale. It’s a story of how we grow up, not by avoiding the dark, but by walking through it with open eyes, careful trust, and a heart that hopes, against all odds, for the place we truly can truly call home. 

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Written by Roselina Vundi