Mulan and the War Between Masculinity and Femininity
Disney’s Mulan is probably one of the most beloved Disney princess movies and is also one of the most obvious examples of the Heroine’s journey. However, despite its obvious symbols of masculinity and femininity, Disney’s Mulan uniquely conveys the relationship between these two sides through Mulan's character development and journey toward finding her place in the world. Mulan has three significant moments where it can best be explained by Maureen Murdock’s model of the Heroine’s journey, which takes into account the heroine’s relationship with femininity and masculinity. These stages of the heroine’s journey include the separation from the feminine (represented by Mulan’s introduction), identification with the masculine and gathering of allies (represented by Mulan joining the army), and integration of masculine and feminine (represented by the final battle scene between Mulan and Shan Yu). Maureen Murdock's Model of the Heroine's Journey Almost...