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Most Disney movies, such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, involve a strong, handsome prince who rescues the helpless princess. However, in addition to presenting conventional gender roles, Disney’s Mulan portrays a woman in a role which exemplifies a nonconforming female image—woman as the hero. Although Disney’s Mulan takes place in China, a country that is obviously very different from that of America, the traditional male gender role is similar to a man’s expected behavior in America. According to Adrian Tong, a man’s role in Chinese culture is to lead and resolve conflict within his family, for “the harmony of his family not only reflects who he is as a person, but also the quality of his manhood” (Tong). When Mulan’s father, Fa Zhou, is called to serve in battle a second time,
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In Chinese culture, the main purpose of a woman was to find a good husband and bear many sons (Pillai) –in essence, the quintessential Chinese bride. To attempt to match this image, Mulan goes into town, where her mother and grandmother transform her appearance into that of a Chinese bride (Mulan). In order to bring honor to her family, she must be judged as a worthy bride by the matchmaker. In the lyrics of the song that plays during this segment in the movie, “Honor to Us All,” the line, “Ancestors hear my plea, help me not to make a fool of me, and to not uproot my family tree, keep my father standing tall” (Mulan) demonstrates Mulan’s desire to fit in with her accepted gender role in order to not disgrace her father or …show more content…
Although the movie reinforces several conventional male roles – man as the strong protector and leader – it also presents a female in an exceptionally unconventional role. As a strong, intelligent, and independent protagonist, Mulan not only breaks out of her gender role, but far surpasses her call of duty; in so doing, the heroin not only stays true to her sense of self, but attains a status of heroic proportions. This movie demonstrates that one does not have to conform to society’s standards in order to prove one’s worth.
On the contrary—the film suggests that the person who bravely refuses to sacrifice one’s identity to societal expectations but courageously paves one’s own path in life is the person most likely to achieve self-fulfillment and the respect of
In Chinese culture, the main purpose of a woman was to find a good husband and bear many sons (Pillai) –in essence, the quintessential Chinese bride. To attempt to match this image, Mulan goes into town, where her mother and grandmother transform her appearance into that of a Chinese bride (Mulan). In order to bring honor to her family, she must be judged as a worthy bride by the matchmaker. In the lyrics of the song that plays during this segment in the movie, “Honor to Us All,” the line, “Ancestors hear my plea, help me not to make a fool of me, and to not uproot my family tree, keep my father standing tall” (Mulan) demonstrates Mulan’s desire to fit in with her accepted gender role in order to not disgrace her father or …show more content…
Although the movie reinforces several conventional male roles – man as the strong protector and leader – it also presents a female in an exceptionally unconventional role. As a strong, intelligent, and independent protagonist, Mulan not only breaks out of her gender role, but far surpasses her call of duty; in so doing, the heroin not only stays true to her sense of self, but attains a status of heroic proportions. This movie demonstrates that one does not have to conform to society’s standards in order to prove one’s worth.
On the contrary—the film suggests that the person who bravely refuses to sacrifice one’s identity to societal expectations but courageously paves one’s own path in life is the person most likely to achieve self-fulfillment and the respect of