Mulan, a girl, is supposed to stay at home and be just that, a woman. She should not be doing anything a man does, which includes going and fighting a war. So of course, the first social covenant is broken when she decides to go to war in place of her father. Her father yelled at her and told her that his place is to fight for the country and that he would die doing what is right. She on the other hand had to learn her place, because she dishonored the family when the matchmaker said she wasn't honorable, and essentially wasn't fit yet to find a husband.
Thus, Mulan broke a social covenant and went to war. Hobbes says that when a social covenant is broken that person should be shunned. Mulan is not discovered as a man until over halfway through the movie, after the point where she saves Li Shang, the captain of the army. After saving him, she gets hurt and a doctor is called upon to help her. He discovers she is a man and tells Shang, to which him and the Emperor's advisor, Chi-Fu, react negatively. This is because of the social covenant that women have a place at home as a good wife, not a soldier. Here is a clip of when Mulan gets shunned (it is a dub for Mulan's voice, but the script is the same):
Mulan should have been killed, which we know because Chi-Fu screams that she has committed the ultimate dishonor and has committed treason. Shang only spared her because Mulan saved his life, but as a result the group shunned her and left her in the mountains alone.
This is a Disney movie, however, and so of course at the end The Emperor lists off all of the covenants Mulan broke, but she is commended for all that she has done for China. But, throughout the movie I noticed this Hobbesian overtone that has to do with social contracts such as the place of a man and a woman in society. And it did show the consequences, which is a person becoming ostracized from society; so as Mushu would say:
Mushu gif I found on tumblr: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8tvtw8yl91ruvhnpo1_500.gif
YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8El6hn_6ChM
Sasha I love this post and Mulan! :) I think you're right, this movie does show a lot of Hobbes ideas. The point about how breaking a covenant results in shunning is very true. Mulan did get shunned, but I think you could have challenged Hobbes. Obviously back in the time of Mulan ideas like Hobbes ideas ruled supreme. Men were above women, and covenants were very impotent. Honor to the family, especially in china, was seen as the most important thing a person could fulfill. However I do believe Mulan could have achieved redemption. Put aside the fact that the end of Mulan is completely impossible, I mean it is Disney. This film shows that you can dishonor your family, be shunned, and still make a comeback. Thats one thing Hobbes lacked, mercy. In a time ruled by kings and emperors it was near impossible to achieve redemption. However in today everyone not only gets a second chance, but three, or four. The story of Mulan and her redemption is far fetched for the time she lived in. However in today's world this story seems normal because Hobbes views on leadership and covenants don't stand true to John Locke's views on government. I like your post a lot, but maybe go deeper and challenge why a redemption is possible.
ReplyDeleteJeffrey, I'm glad you liked the post! I just read up on the real story of Mulan and I found it interesting that she actually didn't have any consequences either for going to fight in war. The movie must have played up the roles of men and women as a way of a social contract. The real story is from a narrative poem written in the Ming Dynasty. What I find interesting is that she was never actually discovered as a woman in the real story. She just declined the rewards and went back to her family as a woman and continued living as a woman should at the time. So in that case there isn't a real redemption necessary. For the Disney version, I like that you say that people now have multiple chances to make things right, because that is definitely true. Hobbes does lack mercy, and that is why I'm sure he would hate Disney and their way of romanticizing the real stories of many of its characters. I think redemption is possible now because we like to think that people can change and that there is always good in a person. With Disney showing that Mulan gained rewards after helping save the Emperor (as a girl) I think it is a way to show girls that they can do anything they set their mind to and help with women's rights and the idea that men and women are equals. I think that the redemption in the movie is a way to further this idea and that it is more of a way to inspire young kids rather than show the negative consequences like Hobbes' beliefs.
DeleteHere are a few posts I looked at abou the real Mulan, there is quite a bit of variation, but the gist is the same:
http://asianresearch.org/articles/2805.html
http://ancientstandard.com/2011/06/17/the-real-story-of-mulan/
http://dettoldisney.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/mulan-vs-the-legend-of-hua-mulan/