Joseph Campbell’s template of the Hero’s Journey describes a protagonist in a film or show who goes on an adventure. The Disney Film Mulan has a female protagonist, and usually, with that, the movie follows the steps of the Heroine's Journey. Since Mulan pretends to be a man to join the army in place of her father, I think that this movie can also follow the steps of the Hero’s Journey.
Mulan throughout the movie really wants to honor her family and make them proud. In the movie, she does the opposite and embarrasses them. When the Huns invade China, the king asks that each family nominate one man to join the army. Afraid that her father wouldn’t survive in the war, being that he is old, Mulan disguises herself as a man and joins in his place. This is the “call to adventure” step in Joseph Campbell’s template because this scene shows Mulan officially starting her journey. Mulan, before accepting to go, starts to rethink her decision. Campbell’s template shows this part of the film as the “Refusal of the Call”. When she finally accepts it, she leaves home and joins the army. When Mulan goes, her parents ask their ancestors to keep Mulan safe. The Ancestors create Mushu. I think that Mushu is Mulan's “Supernatural Aid” because he helps her while she is in the army.
When Mulan is in the army, she is struggling more than the men. The men are much faster and stronger than she is. Mulan doesn’t give up. To prove that she belongs in the army, she climbed the rope to retrieve the arrow. This scene shows Mulan's official separation from her old self and her transformation into her new self. Campbell’s “Belly of the Whale” step describes this scene the best because it shows her rebirth as a stronger soldier. While in battle, Mulan gets injured. When Shang goes into the tent, he finds out she’s a woman. This makes her decide if she should go back home or stay and fight in the war. Mulan decides to stay and warns the city about some of the Huns who are still alive. This is the “temptation” step because Mulan hesitated to stay on her Journey and go home, but she decides not to.
When the Huns took over China, Mulan decided not to give up. To save her lover Li Shang and the Emperor, Mulan decides to lure the leader of the Huns, Shan Yu, onto the roof of the palace. Using Mushu's help, Mulan was able to defeat Shan Yu, earning the respect of everyone not as a man, but as herself. This is the “Ultimate Boon” step in Campbell’s template because it shows Mulan achieving her goal of bringing honor to her family and finally being accepted. After the battle, Mulan returns home to her hometown. She shows her father Shan Yu’s sword to show her achievement, but instead of taking them, her father gives her a hug. He now views her being herself as an honor to him. This step is “Crossing the Return Threshold” because it shows that Mulan has officially transformed into a new person.
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ReplyDeleteAntje,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great perspective of looking at the Mulan. I personally never thought of using a hero's journey to analyze Mulan before. But using the Hero's Journey timeline is possible to describe female protagonist is possible, and we have tried to do it when watching our last in class film. Good job!
I really enjoy your formatting of this post, it was really nice to follow with pictures! I think Mulan follows the hero's journey narrative quite well! I don't think the hero's journey needs to be a gendered thing, but elements of the heroine's journey can be helpful in analyzing this text from another lens. All of your steps fit quite well, but in particular, I think the crossing the return is apt; especially since she's found empowerment in her own identity and returns to her hometown even stronger.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great post! Your analysis of Mulan in comparison to the Hero's Journey was very good. I also liked your use of pictures. The use of visuals helps the reader follow along with the post. Overall, good post!
ReplyDeleteHi Antje! I like how you started your blog off by saying that the move Mulan could be interpreted as either a heroine's journey or a hero's journey given the fact that she switches between a male and female identity. I agree that Mushu is the supernatural aid, as he is what guides her through the journey. Overall, I think that you made great points about how the movie relates to the heroine's journey. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Antje! I find it quite creative that you applied the Hero's Journey rather than the Heroine's journey due to Mulan's role in the film. Also, Mushu being the supernatural aid is interesting as well. Watching this film as a child, I considered Mushu as more of a friend, but now his role finds more purpose. I wonder if her film could be adapted back and forth between the Hero's and Heroine's journey diagrams dependent on which gender she was Identifying with. Well done!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Antje! I think you can also map Mulan to Maureen Murdock's heroine's journey. Rejecting her marriage training and embracing the life of a military warrior, Mulan's Call to Adventure also represents Murdock's Separation from the Feminine and Identification with the Masculine stages. In addition, when Mulan is saving Li Shang and the Emperor, she uses the skills she gained from her marriage training and the military, integrating with both her masculine and feminine identities.
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