11 - Social Mobility for Women Seen in Different Cultures
Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 3:03 am
Social Mobility for Women Seen in Different Cultures
At first glance, the American movie “Mona Lisa Smile” and the Chinese movie “And the Spring Comes” seem to have little in common. Each provides insight into two different societies and the social mobility of each. Characters discover in both movies that it can prove to be difficult to move up the social ladder, specifically for a woman. In this essay I will first briefly summarize the two films, then I will discuss this theme of a lack of social mobility.
In “Mona Lisa Smile” a liberal woman from California takes a job teaching at a conservative women’s college in 1950’s Massachusetts. She teaches art history to a class of women and quickly bonds with them. In the end she changes several of their lives and opinions for the better. In my paper I will focus on the social mobility and obstacles facing one character in particular; her name is Betty. Betty is a conservative women who is determined to become a housewife instead of realizing her true potential, all because of the norms of the day’s society.
In “And the Spring Comes” a music professor in a small northern Chinese town dreams of singing opera in Beijing. However, she believes she is being discriminated against for her looks. At the same time, she finds little support within the town’s more conservative population. In the end, she discovers happiness after giving up on her dream and adopting a child of her own.
In both movies, several factors hold back characters from reaching their full potential. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, Betty limits herself and her goals in life by conforming to the norms of 1950’s America and becoming a housewife. I think this is not necessarily what she truly wants in life. I argue that she has been influenced by several factors in society. For example, at her college they teach the students how to be “good” wives to their husbands, meaning to basically stay home and take care of their husbands. Growing up and learning in an environment that encourages this as a career will influence someone to follow along with the propaganda. That is what I believe happened to Betty.
In “And a Spring Comes”, Wang believes that she is being discriminated against by those with the power to help her move up the social ladder. I agree with her. If she had been born wealthy, beautiful, and in Beijing then she would have had a much better chance of realizing her dream. Instead she was born poor, ugly, and in a smaller industrial city with a smaller population who cares about singing and the fine arts. For example, even applying for a living permit for Beijing proves to be very difficult for her because she cannot afford to buy the permit. Barriers such as this make Wang’s dream almost unreachable.
In both movies, there are clear speed bumps, limiting each characters’ growth in their relative societies. Betty had to deal with the misogynistic stereotypes of the 1950’s. Professor Wang had to deal with similar stereotypes while growing up and living in China. These two movies show that cultures often share biases and stereotypes while attempting to climb the social ladder. In particular, these movies show the difficulties that women had to face in the recent past while attempting to ascend the social ladder.
At first glance, the American movie “Mona Lisa Smile” and the Chinese movie “And the Spring Comes” seem to have little in common. Each provides insight into two different societies and the social mobility of each. Characters discover in both movies that it can prove to be difficult to move up the social ladder, specifically for a woman. In this essay I will first briefly summarize the two films, then I will discuss this theme of a lack of social mobility.
In “Mona Lisa Smile” a liberal woman from California takes a job teaching at a conservative women’s college in 1950’s Massachusetts. She teaches art history to a class of women and quickly bonds with them. In the end she changes several of their lives and opinions for the better. In my paper I will focus on the social mobility and obstacles facing one character in particular; her name is Betty. Betty is a conservative women who is determined to become a housewife instead of realizing her true potential, all because of the norms of the day’s society.
In “And the Spring Comes” a music professor in a small northern Chinese town dreams of singing opera in Beijing. However, she believes she is being discriminated against for her looks. At the same time, she finds little support within the town’s more conservative population. In the end, she discovers happiness after giving up on her dream and adopting a child of her own.
In both movies, several factors hold back characters from reaching their full potential. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, Betty limits herself and her goals in life by conforming to the norms of 1950’s America and becoming a housewife. I think this is not necessarily what she truly wants in life. I argue that she has been influenced by several factors in society. For example, at her college they teach the students how to be “good” wives to their husbands, meaning to basically stay home and take care of their husbands. Growing up and learning in an environment that encourages this as a career will influence someone to follow along with the propaganda. That is what I believe happened to Betty.
In “And a Spring Comes”, Wang believes that she is being discriminated against by those with the power to help her move up the social ladder. I agree with her. If she had been born wealthy, beautiful, and in Beijing then she would have had a much better chance of realizing her dream. Instead she was born poor, ugly, and in a smaller industrial city with a smaller population who cares about singing and the fine arts. For example, even applying for a living permit for Beijing proves to be very difficult for her because she cannot afford to buy the permit. Barriers such as this make Wang’s dream almost unreachable.
In both movies, there are clear speed bumps, limiting each characters’ growth in their relative societies. Betty had to deal with the misogynistic stereotypes of the 1950’s. Professor Wang had to deal with similar stereotypes while growing up and living in China. These two movies show that cultures often share biases and stereotypes while attempting to climb the social ladder. In particular, these movies show the difficulties that women had to face in the recent past while attempting to ascend the social ladder.