Wonder Woman is the typical hero’s story that reflects Western cultural values. She is a strong warrior brought up among Amazons where all females know how to fight. Wonder Woman personifies all the Western hero’s best qualities, including intelligence, strength, sense of justice, and empathy. During the story, Wonder Woman fights against injustice and evil numerous times, defeats the villains, and in the end, she becomes the Queen of the Amazons (Jenkins). In other words, Wonder Woman proves to everyone that she is worthy of being the heroine, and her new status reflects her respect from society. The peculiar detail is that Wonder Woman looks like a beautiful woman with superpowers, which allows girls to regard her as a role model of the strong women’s behavior. The parallels between feminism, women’s empowerment, and the story about Wonder Woman are interconnected. I can relate to this archetypal heroine because she shows that every person has secret powers that she can develop and improve her life in society. The message the Western heroine promotes that a strong, empowered personality can change the world and oppose evil is inspiring. It fits into the Western view on individual contribution to the community.
Hua Mulan is the Eastern heroine, and her image reflects the views on traditional gender roles in the Asian culture. Society expects her to become a good wife, even though she is too active for the girl. She shows heroic qualities when she decides to substitute her elderly father and go to the war instead of him because she does not want him to die. This sacrifice to the family corresponds to the views on heroism in Asian cultures. Hua Mulan continues to fight courageously, putting her life at risk while defending the Emperor. The fact that she was not afraid to sacrifice her life for the country and others makes her exceptional from the Asian point of view that values altruism and a sense of belonging to the community (Caro). Her example teaches the audience that courage and altruism are heroic qualities, and Hua Mulan receives the invitation from the palace to return at the end of the movie. It shows that the Emperor saw her altruism and eagerness to sacrifice her life and evaluated it positively. Even though it is difficult for me to relate to the example of Hua Mulan, her actions are exceptional. She does not have superpowers, she has average abilities, but she continues to develop her skills and use them in the fight.
Summing up, the Western and the Eastern heroes from the famous movies represent the traits of character that the particular society considers extraordinary and cheerful.
Wonder Woman features the qualities that contemporary Western society values, while Hua Mulan has the Eastern character and emphasizes the traits that Asian people value. The heroines are more courageous than most people, which makes them exceptional. In both cases, the development of the heroes corresponds to the archetypal story, which makes them similar. At the same time, there are critical differences between Hua Mulan and Wonder Woman. Hua Mulan has to hide from others that she is the woman to fight in the army, while Wonder Woman does not try to correspond to the traditional female gender role. Hua Mulan shows such significant value of the Eastern hero as collectivism and readiness to sacrifice his own life for family, country, and the Emperor. Even though she does not have extraordinary skills, Hua Mulan does not hesitate before going to the war instead of her elderly father. Wonder Woman, in her turn, is the individualist who pursues patriotic goals. Still, at the same time, there is a strong emphasis on female empowerment that is represented in the superpower she has. The examples of the heroines feature these ideal values and show that these qualities allow them to become extraordinary.
Works Cited
Caro, Niki, director. Mulan. Walt Disney Pictures, 2020.
Jenkins, Patty, director. Wonder Woman. Warner Bros., 2017.