Throughout “The Scent of Green Papaya”, many things are made to symbolize the effects of the Vietnam war on the people of Vietnam. The story revolves around the main character, Mui, and the families that she serves. The movie tries to get its message across with the great amount of symbolism and characters actions, as opposed to having a great amount of dialogue.
One of the most prevalent messages in this movie is the role of nature and the land. There are many scenes of Mui, and others interacting with nature, gaining food on some occasions, and on other taking away life. It is clear that in the small community of the movie, that the characters appreciate the natural beauty of the house, and the benefits that come from growing their own food products. This symbolizes how the Vietnamese view their land. They rely on it for their survival and do not take it for granted in the least. The two brothers on the other hand are much more destructive when coming to nature and their overall surroundings. In symbolic terms, the brothers and father are the countries that have interfered with the nation of Vietnam, oppressing it, and exploiting it. This is seen where the children are pouring wax on the ants, urinating in the vase that Mui will have to clean, and making Mui do unneeded and extra work for their pleasure. I think that the boys are the leaders of Vietnam because of they may be abusive, but they are always there. The father may be the greatest symbol of all. He symbolizes the foreign countries that have had complete power over Vietnam. He is there when it is convenient to be there, and when he leaves, he takes all that he can, and leaves the family in shambles.
Years later, Mui is now working for a different family, where the man she works for cheats on his fiancé with Mui. I think that the new man can be related to the original father, do what he please and not worrying about how others felt. I believe that this is symbolic of how years after the war, it is still being fought, and that things may be alright to the rest of the world, but to the nation of Vietnam, there is still much work to be done.
Throughout “The Scent of Green Papaya”, many things are made to symbolize the effects of the Vietnam War on the people of Vietnam. The story revolves around the main character, Mui, and the family that she serves. The movie tries to get its message across by using a great amount of symbolism and the characters actions, as opposed to having a great amount of dialogue.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most prevalent messages in this movie is the role of nature and the land. There are many scenes of Mui, and others interacting with nature, gaining food on some occasions, and on in some cases taking away life. It is clear that in the small community of the movie, that the characters appreciate the natural beauty of the house, and the benefits that come from growing their own food products. This symbolizes how the Vietnamese view their land. They rely on it for their survival and do not take it for granted in the least. The two brothers on the other hand are much more destructive when coming to nature and their overall surroundings. In symbolic terms, the brothers and father are the countries that have interfered with the nation of Vietnam, oppressing it, and exploiting it. This is seen where the children are pouring wax on the ants, urinating in the vase that Mui will have to clean, and making Mui do unneeded and extra work for their pleasure. I think that the boys are the leaders of Vietnam because they may be abusive, but they are always there. The father may be the greatest symbol of all. He symbolizes the foreign countries that have had complete power over Vietnam. He is there when it is convenient to be there, and when he leaves, he takes all that he can, and leaves the family in shambles.
Years later, Mui is now working for a different family, where the man she works for cheats on his fiancé with Mui. I think that the new man can be related to the original father, doing what he pleases and not worrying about how others fell. I believe that this is symbolic of how years after the war, it is still being fought, and that things may be alright to the rest of the world, but to the nation of Vietnam, there is still much work to be done.