Daenerys, from Game of Thrones, is beginning to think that she can use her
Targaryen heritage and Dothraki culture and create something that is completely
new. Danny feels she should be praised for saving the maegi from the brutality
of pillaging. The ways she holds herself so highly overshadows the truth that
she did not help anyone. Maui, from Moana,
can be seen to exemplify those same traits. He believed he was helping the
human race by stealing the heart of Te Fiti. Maui is too self-absorbed to
realize that he started the wave of death that has been spreading to the
surrounding islands in Hawaii. Both characters are similar in how they are
treated as outsiders and how they think they are heroes for offering an
outsider input.
Daenerys
and Maui are both considered outsiders in their cultures. Since Danny is of
Targaryen decent, being sold to a nomadic Dothraki khal, Drogo, was a huge
culture shock for her, especially at the age of an early teenager. Danny’s
brother, Viserys, was using her to gain back the throne of the seven kingdoms. Danny
was visually different from the rest of the Dothraki because she was the only
white person amongst the Dothraki. She was not respected like she thought she
would be for being their khaleesi, queen. The Dothraki made it clear that she
will continue to be an outsider in their culture by not respecting her commands.
Similarly, Maui is considered an outside to humanity because he was tossed out
into the ocean by his parents. The gods rescued him and granted him the status
of demigod. Maui decided to proceed helping humanity, who rejected him from
birth, in order to feel the acceptance and approval that he never got. Humanity
still negatively views Maui as the culprit for the spreading famine across the
islands.
Both
characters think they are saving a primitive race as a hero when they do not
solve anything. Daenerys believes she saved the maegi from being raped when the
Dothraki invaded the Lamb Men village. Danny believes she was liberating potential
slaves as well as reshaping the Dothraki culture. This is a classic example of
colonialism since Danny tries to mold an established population into her
ideals. Danny does not approve of the Dothraki method of claiming their spoils,
and she believes she has the power to change their pre-established methods. The
maegi took the life of Danny’s child and of her husband, Drogo, to prove to
Danny that she saved no one. Danny was blinded by her own personal victory of
saving the maegi that she did not realize that the maegi has to live with the
fact that her previous life was destroyed and violated by the Dothraki. Similarly,
Maui does not realize he is not a hero. Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti, and
unintentionally unleashed a wave of death, because he thought he was giving humanity
another gift of life. Through Maui’s endeavors of giving gifts to humanity, he begins
to develop a superiority complex. He believes he is the strongest being on the
planet and looks down upon the humans. Maui believes he is saving the human
race, which leads to his ego overshadowing the death wave he unleashed. When
Moana found Maui, he had no intention of returning the heart. Moana tells Maui
that he is no hero because he has does not care about the lives of the people
he is trying to save/impress. She then shows Maui off by going against Te Ka
alone to fix the mistake he created.
