Myth of Mulan
As most people know, Disney’s Mulan is a story about a daughter who pretends to be a boy so that she can join the army in her feeble father’s place. Mulan starts out as the weakest warrior in the training camp but soon becomes the strongest and the favorite of the general’s son Shang. During battle, Mulan is wounded revealing her identity as a woman when she receives medical help. She is supposed to be killed, but her life is spared by lover boy Shang for saving his life. Instead, she gets sent home in shame. However, in the end of the movie Mulan saves the emperor from the evil Shan-Yu and becomes a hero of China.
In reality, Mulan would have been killed the instant anyone found out her real identity. The true story of Mulan actually tells of her dying in battle, but Disney works its myth magic and turns the tale into the American myth that one can accomplish anything. This gives the idea that it’s possible and perfectly okay for one to follow a goal similar to Mulan’s even if one’s life is at risk like in Mulan’s case.
In the positive light, this movie tells little girls that they can grow up to be anything they want to be and that them being a girl doesn’t have any restrictions. In today’s male-dominant world I would say that it is a good idea to instill in girls’ minds that they can grow up to be whatever they want to be. Especially with Hilary Clinton being so close to becoming president of the United States, more girls will strive to achieve as high as or higher than the boys in their competition. In the end, the myth of Mulan is actually a good thing, empowering young girls everywhere.
