The Propspect of Home

“I’ve waited too long for this!” Said the Prospector upon emerging from his box. Why is the Prospector the villain of Toy Story 2? What about him screams “nasty” and “mean”? Why do we feel a great victory when the Prospector is shipped off to that foreign land, never to see the rest of his gang again? I mean think about it... Woody is the one who is breaking up the famous “roundup gang”; the Prospector thinks that he is being the hero by being and protecting what he thinks they are meant to be: figures, objects of devotion from admirers. The Prospector is not even the hero of the gang in the olden days, he was just one of those characters that played a secondary role, or even the dumb one who frequently finds himself in tight predicaments. This was his shining moment to knock some sense into the other fools who want to go and be... played with.
Jesse said that “he's mint in the box, never been opened.” Why not? How come everyone else was opened? What is different about Andy’s love than the love that you would receive being admired from behind glass? I’ve asked a lot of questions and now, hopefully I can answer a few of them. First off, I do not think there is much difference from going to Tokyo and being admired from behind glass, and the admiration the Prospector had received because he has always been behind glass (or whatever that plastic film the covers the front of the box). The point is, he can only be admired for his looks (which aren’t great, mind you), for what he represents and stands for, and for being a member that made Woody a favorite play thing.... he has never been loved.
We cheer for Woody, the hero, and greatly desire him to win and gain victory over the Prospector, but the truth is, we are Prospectors. We are constantly pushing for the way in which think will make us feel the most loved. The only time that we emerge from our box is to stop the loved from finding the lover... because the lover is too good to be true. Andy treasures and cares for the toys, he gives them purpose and meaning, and in a way he is a God figure to them. The toys are there to bring pleasure to Andy and for Andy to love them. The Prospector can’t fathom this so his heart is set on being loved to some capacity and instead of being buried inside a cardboard box, meaningless without the presence of the rest of the gang, being stared at and “admired” from a distance is what the Prospector thinks is enough to fill his Andy-shaped hole.
Why do we feel a great victory when Andy and Jesse and Bullseye (who listen to the call of love) escape the villain ways of the Prospector? Because they are going home really home to the place where they belong.
Maybe this is all a big stretch, but I don’t think so. The Prospector even shares his own desire to be loved... he shared of his suffering as he sat on a “dime-store shelf watching every other toy being sold.” But not every owner picks and chooses and discards the unwanted, there are good owners like Andy. The Prospector was given an opportunity to be loved by Andy, but he did not trust his love. So, he became embittered toward Andy’s love for Woody and then, when Andy’s love was great enough to draw them back home, the Prospector would not have these toys, drawn by love, take away his opportunity to be loved (or distantly admired) in the way that he thought would make him fulfilled. And that is why we cheer in the end: for love that is stronger than any other, for purpose because of this love, and for a homecoming that is more beautiful than before because they conquered the fleeting fulfillment that this world tells us will satisfy.