As a classic grounded dystopian narrative, the existing storyline of Mad Max has delineated the man-made catastrophe leading to the downfall of contemporary civilization, and in that context, Green Place is an important signifier in a new world order regarding the established binary between masculine and feminine roles in the series. In the latest venture of the franchise, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and also in the previous entry, Fury Road, the Green Place served a role that went beyond being just a setting and incorporated symbolic elements that conveyed strong ecofeminist connotations. Additionally, narrative-wise, Furiosa herself is intricately connected with the place as well. With the fictional location being important enough to act as the primary background in the upcoming Mad Max installment, it is necessary to discuss its connection with Furiosa, her past, and everything in between.
Spoilers Ahead
Nature and nurture
In the aftermath of the collapse of western civilization, barren wasteland covered the entirety of the vast Australian plains, but nature gave humanity a chance to persevere. In a secluded corner of the scorching hellish landscape existed the oasis known as Green Place, a fertile land consisting of greenery around a water body where the female-led community of the Many Mothers found refuge. It is almost poetic that the last vestige of natural life provided shelter to the life givers, and as the Many Mothers built the foundation of a harmonious civilization in the safe haven of the Green Place, they decided to keep the place hidden from the world outside. Familiar with the all-decaying destructive influence of humankind all too well, they made the right call by maintaining the secrecy of the Green Place to protect it from the barbarism prevalent in the wasteland. It goes beyond saying that the Green Place symbolized the hope for a better tomorrow, of growth and rebirth, through its nurturing embrace, which accepted the settlers.
Furiosa grew up in the Green Place, and being the daughter of the leader of the Many Mothers, she had internalized the symbiotic relationship that the settlers shared with the place itself. Green Place was the comfort zone, the home that made a young Furiosa feel secure, but more than that, it shaped up the foundation of her humanity by keeping the kid far away from the evils of the wasteland. In a sense, Furiosa and her community could become their better selves through the security provided by the Green Place. However, all of that changed the day Furiosa was snatched away from her home by Dementus’ men and thrown into the cesspool of the outside world.
Was Furiosa Able to Protect Her Home, the Green Place?
As a bunch of Dementus’ crew learned about the existence of the green heaven, a young Furiosa tried her desperate best to stop them from escaping with the knowledge of the place and got herself captured. It was obvious that the Vuvalini, aka the Many Mothers, would fight tooth and nail to stop any possibility of outsider encroachment to protect the place from harm, and the leader, Mary Jo Bassa, took it upon herself to rescue her daughter and bury the secret of the Green Place with the fleeing crew of Dementus. However, despite her valiant efforts, Mary ended up failing, but she entrusted the responsibility of protecting the Green Place to her daughter as her final wish. It took a great deal of courage, determination, and heart for Furiosa to witness her mother being tortured to death by Dementus’ crew while still not revealing the location of the Green Place to the barbarians. It’s almost a respectful gesture to all the indigenous populations across the world who sacrificed everything to protect the natural world from the aggressor capitalists.
From that point onwards, returning to her homeland became the one and only objective for Furiosa, for which she sacrificed her soul, hid her identity, and continued to wait for an opportunity. Finally, she was given the chance to return as Praetorian Jack helped her escape, but once again, the wasteland tightened its clutches on her and kept her inside its prison as Dementus thwarted her plans to escape. Furiosa lost her way to her home as well, and her pursuit of vengeance took her on a different course. However, Furiosa carried a piece of her home with her—a seed—which Mary had given to her as a symbol of the Green Place. Furiosa planted it in the Citadel upon Dementus’ body, which continued to act as a morbid symbol of hope. Sympathizing with the sordid fate of the wives of Immortan Joe, Furiosa hoped to take them back to the Green Place, dreaming of providing them with a safe refuge.
However, as we see in the course of Mad Max: Fury Road, this dream of hers got shattered as well, as the surviving members of the Vuvalini community revealed that the Green Place had turned into an infertile swamp and bog, infested with Crow Fishers. The agony Furiosa felt at that moment, realizing the failure of her sacrifices and the end of her hopes and dreams, is evident from her hearbreaking wailing. She wasn’t able to keep the promise she had made to her mother after all; despite going through every horror wasteland conjured and enduring them, Furiosa had lost her home forever.Â
Will the Green Place be recreated in the future?
However, that doesn’t necessarily imply that we have seen the last of Green Place, as Mad Max: Fury Road hinted about the possibility of the green heaven being recreated by Furiosa. In the final moments of the movie, Max convinces Furiosa to return to Citadel, and as she frees the fortress from the oppressive rule of Immortan Joe, an opportunity remains for the Green Place to be recreated. Now that Furiosa, the wives, and the Vuvalini are in charge of the citadel, their ideals and efforts can initiate the rebirth of the green place in the citadel itself.
