The Theme of Rebel in Ballad of Mulan
During the Twentieth Century women were required to raise a family, maintain the household and produce sons so they can carry on the family name. Men ruled the household and had complete control over their wives. Although, many women felt obligated to conform, some rebelled in both small and large ways. One woman who rebels against her culture is the iconic character Mulan in “The Ballad of Mulan” by Song Nan Zhang. Zhang talks about how a young chinese woman finds out that her disabled father will be drafted to fight against the huns. Realizing that her father will not survive this war, Mulan decides to transform into a man and go to war in her father’s place due to his injury. In “The Ballad of Mulan” Zhang’s Mulan Embodies the rebellion against the chinese tradition of family, and gender norms.
Many people in China believed that Mulan was bringing dishonor to herself, her family, and her culture by attempting to go to war in place of her father. In the ballad, Mulan is quoted “want to buy a saddle and horse, and serve in the army in Fathers place.”, This symbolizes the start of Mulan’s act of rebellion against the social norms of her culture. She begins this by buying all of the equipment needed to go to war, which is typically bought by the men being mandated into the military. With no other man in the family, there was no one to take fathers place, Mulan notices “On every scroll there’s father's name. Father has no grown-up son, Mulan has no elder brother.” It was very important to be a man in the family during the ancient times. Since Mulan's mother didn’t have a son the only way she can go to war in her fathers place would be to disguise as a man.
In addition to this, the act of Mulan cutting her hair is another symbol of rebellion against her culture. Typically, women of this time period were expected to look a certain way and meet cultural standards. Mulan is seen as going totally against the cultural grain by not only cutting her hair, but by attempting to transition, in a sense, into a man.In an article by (it mentions “she cuts her hair” which meant Mulan cutting her hair was a meaning of cutting herself off from her cultural expectations. Due to Mulan cutting her hair she was afraid that her family would reject her, “Mulan slices off her hair to disguise herself as a man to fight in the army, knowing that by doing so, she risks banishment from her family. This explains that while mulan was rebelling against her culture she was also rebelling against her family.
Gender norms played an important part in Mulan, it shaped the way people thought about others in society. Women and men were obligated to play different roles in their family. Women were obligated to clean the house and care for the children, while men were obligated to have complete control over the household and care for the animals. In the story it mentions “She fixes her rouge, facing the door” Mulan sister is putting on makeup which is an expectation for women during that time. Being groomed every second of the day was another expectation for women. In addition to this, the story briefly discusses the typical responsibilities of the men in the household. The author states Mulan’s younger brother “Whets the knife, quick quick, for pig and sheep” which shows that men are expected to take care of the physical aspects of the household.
Some may argue that Mulan may have been selfish for going to war rather than specifically saving her father. Once Mulan’s fellow soldiers found out that she was a female, they ditched her on the mountains and mulan soon started to forget everything. Mulan goes on to say “ Maybe I didn't go for my father. Maybe what I really wanted was to prove I could do things right. So when I look in the mirror, I’d see someone worthwhile”. Although Mulan saving her father’s life was a huge benefit, what Mulan really wanted out of this experience was to prove she could do anything. Mulan defies all gender stereotypes by accepting both feminine and masculine identity.
In conclusion, Mulan rebels against her family, herself, and her culture by joining the military against the law. By changing her appearance and gender. She's rebelling against her gender inequalities that ancient China has set for every woman. The entire film and story of Mulan is based on her rebelling against her culture, rather than dressing up she decides to fight for her father who was disabled.
