The animated Disney film, Mulan, was released in 1988. The movie tells the story of a 16 year old girl living with her family in China during an attack on the empire led by the Huns. Word soon comes to Mulan's town that one man in every family must serve his country in the war, Fearful for her father's heath, as he as already served in one war and graying from age, she steals his armor and sneaks off in the middle of the night to take his place at the training camp before anyone is able to protest her.
This film was easiest to identify under a postmodern feminism lens because it's difficult to similarly and equally characterize the three women in Mulan's family: Mulan, her mother, and her grandmother.
All of them are at different stages in their lives and have different experiences it. It would be unfair to their character to group them together because they are each defines differently through their individualism, which is the dominant aspect emphasized by postmodern feminism.
All of them are at different stages in their lives and have different experiences it. It would be unfair to their character to group them together because they are each defines differently through their individualism, which is the dominant aspect emphasized by postmodern feminism.
Mulan's grandmother, Grandmother Fa, is clearly the oldest women in the family. While she proves to care for Mulan the way an elderly grandmother should, her spunky personality proves that she is well past the age of worrying what others think of her. She wears traditional clothing of a Chinese woman and treats the alpha male of the household with respect, as is honored in Chinese traditions, but she also let's out sarcastic comments and jokes. She knows that she has already lived the prime of her life and now she just providing a humorous bumper character between Mulan and her parents while Mulan still tries to find where she belongs in the world.
Mulan's mother, Fa Li, plays the role of a very traditional Chinese wife and mother. She cares deeply for her daughter and wants what is best for her which is shown by her quick action in getting Mulan ready to meet the Matchmaker for young girls in their town. She dresses in the traditional clothing of a Chinese woman and respects her husband as the alpha of the house. This is shown by her lack of support for Mulan during an outburst at the dinner table in which Mulan speaks abruptly, out of turn, and with disrespect toward her father.
Finally, there is Fa Mulan, the movie's protagonist. Mulan does not fit the expectations of a 16 year old Chinese girl. She shows strength and courage from the very beginning of the movie when she tries to stop her dad from accepting the letter from the emperor to join the army. During her time at war, posing as a man named Ping, she proves that women can be just as mentally and physically capable as a man, and at times more so. She thinks quickly on her feet which results in saving the lives of her entire camp but she still retains her feminine qualities (though they are hidden) which can be seen when the camp is singing "A Girl Worth Fighting For" and Mulan's line is "How 'bout a girl who's got a brain? Who always speaks her mind?" In the end she does end up capturing the heart of her captain, Li Shang, even though her only intention was to save her father.