This critique argues that Chris Columbus’s film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ addresses the issues with the differing gender roles of families, by portraying the unconventional male and female roles in marriage, to express the central idea that both man and women are compulsory agents of socialization for children.
Mrs. Doubtfire tells the story of a divorced father, who disguises himself as Mrs. Doubtfire, a loving, middle-aged female housekeeper, in an effort, to spend more time with his children, after the court grants his former wife the custody of his three children (Columbus, 1993). A nostalgic aura is portrayed when the father in disguise hears his family talk of his absence while he is covertly present. Succeeding this, he attempts to resolve the …show more content…
Doubtfire tells children living in separated families to never accuse themselves, because their parents will always love them. In her final thoughtful words, she says, “There are lots of different families... they may not see each other for weeks, for days, months, or years. But if there’s love dear, those are the ties that bind. And you’ll have a family in your heart forever...you’re going to be all right” (Columbus, 1993).
The film portrays a shift in the traditional gender roles within a household, and it does not portray a traditional nuclear family. In most cultures and societies, the traditional breadwinner providing for the costs of the family is the male. In this film, Daniel does not represent this established convention, because he quit his job, so he initially imperils the prosperity of his own family. His wife Miranda leads a high-paying professional job, and she sacrifices her time, to be the primary family wage earner in this case. Due to Miranda’s constant work, the role of the caregiver is Daniel’s. Miranda is an anxious, working mother who not only works outside the home, but also does housework because her husband is stereotyped in this film as a male who is very disorganized. According to a sociologist Arlie Hochschild, Miranda is also leading a “second-shift” because when returns from her …show more content…
Doubtfire. When Daniel, becomes Mrs. Doubtfire, he expresses feminine qualities, such as speaking gently, in a caring manner correlating all the roles of a customary female keeper. Mrs. Doubtfire’s gender role brings happiness to everyone in the family. The children performed better at school, she helped them cope emotionally, thus bringing joy to all. While Daniel was Mrs. Doubtfire, Miranda enjoyed quality time with her children, Daniel actually benefited from Mrs. Doubtfire because he learned though the ‘absurd’ gender role, where he got to view the function of an appropriate caregiver through the lenses of a male character in female disguise. Daniel’s learned ‘ideologies’ and arrangements made him a role model, and brought out the best in all (McNenly,
Mrs. Doubtfire tells the story of a divorced father, who disguises himself as Mrs. Doubtfire, a loving, middle-aged female housekeeper, in an effort, to spend more time with his children, after the court grants his former wife the custody of his three children (Columbus, 1993). A nostalgic aura is portrayed when the father in disguise hears his family talk of his absence while he is covertly present. Succeeding this, he attempts to resolve the …show more content…
Doubtfire tells children living in separated families to never accuse themselves, because their parents will always love them. In her final thoughtful words, she says, “There are lots of different families... they may not see each other for weeks, for days, months, or years. But if there’s love dear, those are the ties that bind. And you’ll have a family in your heart forever...you’re going to be all right” (Columbus, 1993).
The film portrays a shift in the traditional gender roles within a household, and it does not portray a traditional nuclear family. In most cultures and societies, the traditional breadwinner providing for the costs of the family is the male. In this film, Daniel does not represent this established convention, because he quit his job, so he initially imperils the prosperity of his own family. His wife Miranda leads a high-paying professional job, and she sacrifices her time, to be the primary family wage earner in this case. Due to Miranda’s constant work, the role of the caregiver is Daniel’s. Miranda is an anxious, working mother who not only works outside the home, but also does housework because her husband is stereotyped in this film as a male who is very disorganized. According to a sociologist Arlie Hochschild, Miranda is also leading a “second-shift” because when returns from her …show more content…
Doubtfire. When Daniel, becomes Mrs. Doubtfire, he expresses feminine qualities, such as speaking gently, in a caring manner correlating all the roles of a customary female keeper. Mrs. Doubtfire’s gender role brings happiness to everyone in the family. The children performed better at school, she helped them cope emotionally, thus bringing joy to all. While Daniel was Mrs. Doubtfire, Miranda enjoyed quality time with her children, Daniel actually benefited from Mrs. Doubtfire because he learned though the ‘absurd’ gender role, where he got to view the function of an appropriate caregiver through the lenses of a male character in female disguise. Daniel’s learned ‘ideologies’ and arrangements made him a role model, and brought out the best in all (McNenly,