Soul Ends On A Perfect Note

Warning: Massive Spoilers Ahead

“So, what do you think you’ll do? How are you going to spend your life?”

“I’m not sure,” responds Joe (the main character), “but I do know I’m going to live every minute of it.”

The last few lines of Soul, Pixar’s newest animated film, have been rattling around my head for the last few days, and this film has resonated with me in ways I didn’t think possible. It’s a film about life, death, and everything before and after. This small exchange at the end of the film reveals a simple, but powerful truth: the purpose of life is to live.

First, let’s consider the timing of this movie. 2020 marked one of the most harrowing and challenging years in recent history. We saw civil unrest. We saw a pandemic. We saw hate, suffering, and fear, but we also saw love, kindness, and hope. To put it bluntly, Soul is the movie that 2020 needed because it reminds us that even in the darkest times, life is still worth living.

Joe Gardner, the protagonist of Soul, took his life for granted, and just when his dreams were about to come true, he died. He believed that his sole purpose in life was to play music, and everything else was a waste of his time. Not only did Joe take his life for granted, he took his relationships for granted (Dez and his mother), and he was willing to sacrifice almost anything to get his chance at the big time.

Twenty-two, on the other hand, took life for granted because she thought she knew everything that life had to offer. It wasn’t until she stepped into Joe’s body that she realized life was like nothing she had ever experienced. Things that Joe found mundane, like riding a Subway, were invigorating to 22, eventually providing her with the spark that was necessary for her to start her own life. In fact, the subway itself represents Joe’s viewpoint when it came to life — he was living for the destination (becoming a musician) rather than the journey.

A tense scene between Joe and his mother reveals that he feels like a failure, and he’s worried that unless he can play the big show and live his dreams, his life will amount to nothing. This sentiment was introduced earlier when 22 mocked his rather ordinary life, but after stepping into his shoes, she was able to realize that Joe’s life was far from mundane or meaningless. Eventually, Joe is able to play the show, sacrificing 22’s chance at a life of her own, but he feels disappointed and shares his disappointment with Dorothea. She tells a story about a fish looking for the ocean, but what she really is saying is that Joe has been chasing his purpose to live, when he’s had a purpose all along.

The purpose of life is to live.

This theme is reinforced by an earlier conversation between Jerry and Joe when it’s revealed that a spark is not a purpose, but rather a reason to start living. Joe has been so blinded by his idea of purpose that he’s ignored all the things that make life worth living (bagels, pizza, a maple seed, etc.). Joe’s ultimate realization leads him to rescue 22 and offer her a new chance at life. His sacrifice isn’t negated by Jerry’s offer of his own second chance; Joe was willing to give up his dream of being a musician because he realized that his life already had purpose and meaning.

At times, it can feel like we’re on that dreary Subway train, trapped and barreling helplessly toward death, but once we realize that we can step off at any time, we can live a life more exciting and interesting life than we had ever dreamed.