Introduction
The film “The Goddess (1934)” is a cry for female tolerance. It openly criticizes a conservative society that places unrealistic expectations among women without really thinking about their circumstances.
Feminism in the film
Feminism echoes throughout the plot of the movie through the life of the main character and through the reactions of the people around her. For one to understand the difficulties that the main character in the story went through, one needs to know the context of the narration.
This was depression-era China; financial and economic conditions had become almost intolerable (Chan, 2003). What’s more, women had limited opportunities to fend for their families because of societal rules. Consequently, single mothers had to resort to drastic measures, like prostitution, in order to survive.
Most films written in the silent era were rarely this bold. The writer of the piece stepped out of the box by choosing such a controversial storyline in order to send a message to his audiences. He wanted to question the self righteousness and moral indignation that Chinese people felt they had upon others especially in relation to women’s roles.
It was quite unexpected that a prostitute, of all people, should be made the star of a movie. However, instead of choosing to portray a money-minded and heartless character, the director decided to make her human. She was full of grace and beauty; one would find it difficult to stereotype her.
In fact, it was almost as if the writer wanted to ridicule these expectations of women. Furthermore, he chose to give her a very unconventional name at the beginning of the movie, i.e. “The Goddess”.
This was a woman whose profession was treated with a lot of shame and derision, yet the author still went on to call her a Goddess. What make the main actress suit that title are the motives behind her actions; she engages in prostitution not because she wants to make easy money, but because she wants to secure an education for her son.
These desires are what endear ‘The Goddess’ to her audience. Such a choice of character was a feminist endeavor because 1934 was a time when women were still regarded as moving, walking and talking dolls (Kazuko, 1989). Marriage was something to be arranged and not to be chosen by the parties involved.
Furthermore, these women were bound (their feet were tied with bandages into small bundles that made it very painful to walk) from an early age. The practice was instated in order to keep women from running away. In some parts of China, women were sold-off in order to repay bad debts or settle scores with business partners.
During their marriage ceremonies, brides were not expected to see the events of the wedding as they stayed blinded the whole time. It was only their spouses who could untie them in their wedding beds. Once they got married, Chinese women were expected to be subservient and loyal.
Females were expected to produce for the home rather than for their state. Domestic abuse was a common thing, and men were allowed to have concubines. Even prostitution became a flourishing industry in the 1930s especially in cities like Shanghai. Women’s identity was only complete when it was adjoined to that of a man’s. Single motherhood was not tolerated, let alone frowned upon.
Indeed, women in China at the time of the making of the movie ‘The Goddess’ were pawns of state-imposed and socially-imposed male domination. These cruel practices ignored the fact that they actually raised children and were vital to society’s survival.
The director wanted to break down these conservative ideals by illustrating how unrealistic they were to the women who had to abide by them.
The concepts that have been highlighted in the movie like prostitution, murder, adoption, expulsion or rejection by others in society were all casualties of an unrealistically conservative society. ‘The Goddess’ would not have gone through these anguishes and challenges if her people were less oppressive.
This film advances feminist ideals because it has a female in the lead role. Unlike stereotypical depictions of women as ‘damsels in distress’, this main character has a lot of depth. She is not waiting to get rescued by some strong male character, but she does the best to save herself from her predicaments.
It is a fact that a man (the former principal in her son’s school) eventually offers to help her at the end of the movie, but this is only after all her options have been exhausted.
Although the main character is overpowered by other people’s lack of understanding, her efforts still bear some fruit. The movie ends on an optimistic tone when The Goddess’s child has a secure future in the hands of the former principal. At least the goal that she had been striving so hard to achieve gets fulfilled.
It is crucial to find out some of the qualities that made the lead character in the movie so deep and endearing to the audiences. First of all, she is struggling against adversity. Most audiences respond to people who struggle to achieve their dreams and aspirations in the presence of adversity.
Individuals are always looking for ways of improving and becoming better people. Therefore, audiences tend to identify with the predicaments of such persons. The Goddess is an endearing and lovable character because she plays a role that people love.
Additionally, she seems to be quite committed to her role as a single mother. She seems unafraid to bear her soul before her audience. The Goddess is a three-dimensional character that has strong and weak moments. At times she seems like she has triumphed over her circumstances, yet at other times it looks like things will never get better.
The actress delivers every time these instances occur. She seems to have empathized with the single mother’s role and has inculcated this into her delivery. Her strength is further emphasized by the abrasiveness and violence of other male characters in the movie such as the gangster who took her money; he is violent, insincere and crude.
This villain plays an important role in bringing out the Goddess’ anguish and pain. The contrast between these two characters further illuminates the lead character’s virtues. Feminists agree that directors who can portray believable and vulnerable characters are doing a lot to advance this cause.
The director to this film had a feminist perspective because he chose such qualities for his lead character. These intentions were strengthened by the actress’s strong delivery. A feminist film does not necessarily have to have a strong lead role; it can have a realistic actress and that is enough. The Goddess has both a strong actress and a realistic actress so it scores highly in the feminism list.
Films that advance feminist ideals tend to contrast the lead female character’s role with an uncaring society. “The Goddess” falls perfectly in this category of films. The unnamed female character is treated cruelly by life. Society placed so many limitations on her.
She is painstakingly prevented from pursuing a great future for her son. Instead of giving up and assuming that nothing else can be done about her situation, “The Goddess” defies societal expectations in order to provide for her son (Kazuko, 1989).
It is almost as if the director wanted to make a statement against society by showing that some women are bold enough to step outside the boundaries placed upon them. Being head strong is crucial in a feminist film.
Conclusion
The film is a feminist critique of societal oppression of women in early 20th century China. The choice of character, themes, plot and title are indicative of the writer’s revocation of female stereotypes.
References
Chan, Si. (2003). The Confucian conception of gender in the twenty first century. Cambridge: Cambridge University press
Kazuko, O. (1989). Chinese women in a century of revolution. Stanford: SUP