The Seeds (Symbol)
When Neytiri first meets Jake, she does not care for him and counts him as just another stupid "Sky Person," but soon enough she notices that he is being surrounded by a number of luminescent floating seeds, seeds from the Tree of Souls. This sacred message shows Neytiri that Eywa has chosen Jake as some kind of special person. Thus, the seeds represent Jake's heroic destiny, the fact that he is being watched over by the goddess, and that he plays an important role with the Na'vi.
The Extortion of Unobtanium (Allegory)
The entire plot of the movie—the struggle for resources between an indigenous group and an industrialized military—is an allegory for colonialism and the exploitation of natural resources and disregard for native populations. Many have drawn parallels between the plot of Avatar and the story of early American settlement, in which Europeans came to the continent looking for natural resources, and proceeded to colonize areas already inhabited by Native Americans. The film is a political allegory, positioning a nature-respecting indigenous population against a profit-hungry corporate military wing.
Toruk (Symbol)
At one point in the movie, Neytiri and Jake see the fearsome toruk, a giant, dragon-like creature that Neytiri insists will inevitably kill its prey. She also mentions that only one person has been able to tame and ride the toruk—her grandfather's grandfather. This act was responsible for uniting all of the tribes of the Na'vi. Thus, when Jake is ostracized by the Na'vi for being a double agent, he sees his only hope of gaining their trust and respect in taming and riding the toruk. Sure enough, this feat serves as a symbol of his commitment to and belonging with the Na'vi people.
Avatar (Symbol)
Jake is disabled after a military injury, and cannot use his legs. When he is linked with his avatar, however, he is able to blend his consciousness with a creature that can move in a way that he cannot normally. In this way, the avatar serves as a symbol for mobility and a second chance for Jake. Through this advanced technology, he is able to use his body again. The avatar is a symbol for the ways that technology can allow for other modes of being, and the ways it can open new possibilities for growth.
Blue (Motif)
The Na'vi people are blue-hued, alien creatures that look somewhat like humans, but have key differences. The blue color pops up again and again throughout the movie, and when Trudy, the human pilot, comes to help the Na'vi in their fight against the RDA, she has blue paint decorating her eyes, which symbolizes her solidarity with the effort to protect Pandora from the military.
