Just by providing the element of the Chinese culture, t added an additional lesson, which is responsibility and bringing honor to your family. Lastly, by Mullah’s actions and decisions to go to the army, she implies a lesson of independence and not conforming to the expectation of her role in society. Strength in women is an important lesson for the young viewers of Walt Disney Manual. One of the first scenarios that demonstrate this lesson very dominantly is the scene at the training camp where the soldiers were asked to climb a large, wooden post to retrieve an arrow stuck on the top.
For weeks, no one could do it, but with full determination to remain at camp, Manual awoke at dawn and proved worthlessly to be in the army and ultimately proving woman worthy of keeping up with men, or even exceeding above them. The next scene that supports this moral lesson is where the troop is battling the Hens in the snow and at the last second, Manual save her troop by firing a missile not at the Hung, but at a snow filled mountain to create an avalanche.
This proves that unlike men, who just fight with force and aggression against evil, women battle with force and utilize their intelligence, in addition, to succeed. Manual saves the army from the Hens and s told that she is “the man” as opposed to being “the woman,” which could be seen as bad. But when they find that she is a woman, they disregard what she has done and now look down upon her. Shank, the troop leader, only spares her life because she saved his. Even after she saved the army, she is seen as a disgrace because she is a woman.
But Manual is persistent and doesn’t give up on honoring her family. She continues to prove woman strength and superiority in the way that while in trouble she relies on her own strength, determination, and wits in order to succeed; not on the assistance and approval of man. Being responsible and respecting and bringing honor to your family is one of the larger, more obvious lessons in Manual, given the Chinese culture. In their culture, the matter of bringing honor to your family and ancestors, especially, is a huge deal and the movie demonstrates that very well.
Traditionally, women are expected to bring honor to their family by becoming a good wife and impressing the match-maker in the process of doing so. Manual found a way to be true to herself and still bring honor not only to her family, but her country as well. From the start of the movie, FAA Manual demonstrates susceptibility. For example, in the very first scene of the movie, Manual is shown waking up and the first thing she does is her chores. Although throughout the movie, Manual both obeyed and violated the Pillar of “Respect. She continually shows love and respect to her father but by disregarding the laws of women in that society during the Sue dynasty, which can be interpreted as a sign of disrespect toward her country. This disrespect toward the law is disregarded by the emperor, since Manual did in fact save his life. The lesson of bringing honor to your family is shown in the final scene. As soon as Manual walked up to her father, she bowed, showed her respect, and pulled out the sword she had earned from the emperor and had brought back for him in hopes of making her father proud and bringing honor to him.
The final lesson is the teachings of independence, not conforming to society, and finding your true “reflection”. Mullah’s personality from the beginning was unlike the other Chinese women. She thinks for herself and speaks her mind; nothing like the quiet, polite and demur girls who can attract suitable husbands traditionally. She seemed less interested in the rotational things Chinese women were expected to show interest in. She even shows a form of rebellion against the decisions of the Chinese government.
By Manual taking her fathers place, she demonstrates a rebellious, non-conformist role against the government; but she does this to ultimately save her fathers life. Resulting from her decision to do this and the success she had that came with it, she brings honor to her family, ancestors, Emperor, and her country. With all this she found who she truly is inside and her soul purpose. Not to mention, being such a rare, beautiful flower brought man her way.
Manual got her happily ever after with hard work and determination; the way all “happily ever after” should be taught. Disney begins by showing that there is only one way a woman can bring honor to your family in Chinese culture, but Manual proves women are more than just wives or slaves and are cap able of doing jobs that have traditionally been set-aside for men. Women can be successful and bring honor to their families in other ways. Ways that they can be remembered by. Manual proved to everyone that woman can do anything man can do, if not, better.
