Mulan Essay

For many hundreds of years, women have strived for gaining equality with men. They have been held back and their opportunities taken away from them because of the fact that they were women. In the classic, Disney princess story of Mulan, despite being a female in a male powered world, Mulan overcomes the odds of being a woman and ultimately becomes the savior of China. When perceived through a feminist point of view, Mulan has a deep message on how men exclusively controlled society, that women are equal to men, and how women have the potential for greatness. It is clearly evident that Mulan is a great symbol of feminism and proves that a female should have equal rights and standards as males. In the story of Mulan, a young Chinese woman, …show more content…
Feminism is clearly evident in the story Mulan, and has a deep message on how society is expected to only be run by men. In this story, only men can be drafted into the army, and at least one member from each family name must be present. Accordingly, men are expected to fight the battle, while the women can only stay at home and let the men fight their battles. As well, in the film, there is a song entitled “I’ll Make A Man Out of You.” in this song, there is a line that sings “Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?” (Osmond 1). This implies that only men are wanted in the army and that it is a disgrace for a woman to be there. This shows the inequality between men and women in that era, and how men are much more superior to women. Mulan proves that women are not inferior to men, but are equal to them. When it came time for the draft, Mulan’s father was the only male of the family; he was far too old and fragile to fight a war and Mulan would not let him go. She instead joined the army in replacement for her father so that he could stay. Since the draft was only looking for men, Mulan disguised herself as a man so that she can join. Later on in the story, you begin to see what a talented, skillful and