Another idea that this movie hones in on is the idea that we are all impure and thus need to be cleansed. Chihiro is impure in the inception of the movie as she is not content with the life that she is given. She is selfish, ungrateful and lazy. Impurity lies in all human beings. In the Shinto religion, it is believed that one should be cleansed to rid the impurities for good fortune. This can be seen in the movie when the stench spirit is literally cleansed and purified from a customer filled with material and human waste to a river spirit. After cleanksing, the spirit provided money and fortune to the bathhouse. Sen also received purification as she learned to avoid and change her impurities for the better.
There are many reasons to why Chihiro had to undergo this process of purification. The prime reason I believe was that she didn't feel like she belonged and was unsure of the new life that lay ahead. Her life was filled with insecurity, resentment and ungratefulness. In order to cleanse herself of all of the detriment in her life, I believe she had to go on this trip to release all her burden in life and change into a better human being in general.
Sen learned a lot. I think she learned more about the spirit world, yes, but most importantly about herself. She learned that she should respect everything around her. She learned to love. She learned to give. She learned to overcome obstacles that were bigger than her petty problems back in the mortal realm. She learned to cope.
By changing her beliefs on life as a whole, I think she was able to gain some insight one the important things in life. In my opinion, changing herself was changing her beliefs. She was after more able to appreciate her life in any way it came at her.
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