So, as you all probably know, in Japanese culture, cutting off one’s hair was a sign of disgrace and banishment. In the context of Avatar, it also symbolizes Iroh and Zuko’s tenure as fugitives and their cutting ties with the Fire Nation.
But, according to the Avatar wiki, there’s also another meaning behind this scene which I think is pretty awesome.
According to Buddhist tradition, Siddhartha Buddha renounced the world on the banks of the Anoma River. He did this by cutting off his hair, abandoning his royal regalia, and adopting the dress of the common people. It’s at this point that the Buddha began his journey of self-discovery and enlightenment.
Hey guys, guess what other prince is starting a journey of self-discovery by cutting his hair near a river and adopting the dress of the common people?
“When someone seeks,“ Siddhartha said, “it is all too easy for his eyes to see nothing but the thing he seeks, so that he is unable to find anything or absorb anything because he is always thinking exclusively about what he seeks, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed by that goal. Seeking means having a goal. But finding means being free, remaining accessible, having no goal. You, venerable one, are perhaps really one who seeks, because, pressing after your goal, you fail to see many a thing that is right before your eyes.”
”I ride in on an elk, played by a horse named Moose. Moose is the biggest horse in New Zealand. I had this one day when I was shooting with him where I would say my line. He could feel it coming and would start kind of moving out of his mark. And it would never fail. I would say “We have come to tell you”, and then he would start moving.” – Lee Pace
The Impala, of course, has all the things other cars have… and a few things they don’t. But none of that stuff’s important. This is the stuff that’s important. The army man that Sam crammed in the ashtray – it’s still stuck there. The Legos that Dean shoved into the vents – to this day, heat comes on and they can hear ‘em rattle. These are the things that make the car theirs – really theirs. Even when Dean rebuilt her from the ground up, he made sure all these little things stayed, ‘cause it’s the blemishes that make her beautiful.
Mashups and Exports 