Historical Backgrounds and Personal Pursuits
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2020 12:25 am
Zhang Peiyun
After watching And the Spring Comes and Mona Lisa Smile, we are more inclined to attribute the theme of these two films to personal pursuit. What kind of characters' fates after experiencing individual pursuit will be in different historical backgrounds? What are the different pursuits between the two films? What can we learn from it? Below, we will carry out specific analysis from the above aspects.
First, what kind of characters' fates after experiencing individual pursuit will be in different historical backgrounds? In both films, the time of the former is the 1990s, when China was undergoing great changes of Reform and Opening up and socio-economic differences were gradually enlarged. Wang Cailing is the epitome of millions of people who seek to achieve their personal goals in developed cities. But the latter lived in the United States in the 1950s. After World War II, the happy housewife was the typical image of American women in this period, and the number of women returning to the family surged.
It is not difficult to find that the protagonists in the former are actively seeking freedom, while the latter is actively returning to the family and finding themselves under the encouragement of Catherine. Thus, this plot is closely related to the historical background of the time. The reform of China has affected the cognition of every ordinary person, and the search for a new world and personal values are consistent with the characteristics of the times in this period. The American call for women to return home is also closely related to the traditional American view of women and the shadow of the cold war. Therefore, the historical background is closely related to the fate of the characters at that time. Without China's epoch-making reform, Wang Cailing would have had little courage to pursue her own destiny. If America does not require women to return to the family, how can the group of lively girls have such a deep-rooted feudal ideology?
Second, what are the different pursuits between the two films? In our opinion, there are two differences between the two films, one is the pursuit of different goals, the other is the pursuit of different freedom. In the aspect of pursuing different goals, it can be found in And the Spring Comes that Wang Cailing is an independent woman, who pursues her dream and desires to come true her dream. She had a passion for opera and longed to be an actress at the Central Opera Theatre. When Hu Jinquan said they were a group, she immediately retorted, "you are against the world, and I am against the ordinary." Thus, we can find that she is a person with ideals and pursuits. This pursuit became a way to redeem oneself and change one's destiny. But in Mona Lisa Smile, the talented girls' access to higher education was restricted by feudal ideology, and their personal consciousness was killed. Becoming an excellent housewife is their pursuit, and they finally found the meaning of being themselves with the help of Catherine. This pursuit is aimed at self-awareness.
In the different aspects of the pursuit of freedom, the art in And the Spring Comes is still not widely loved by the general public, let alone the small cities of the early 1990s. So the the protagonist's persistent pursuit of art with Wang Cailing as the representative is bound to be a tragedy. After experiencing numerous blows, she still chose the unremitting pursuit of art. In addition to her love for art, the deeper reason is that she can acquire a sense of spiritual superiority, which comforts her to be different from the ordinary people. This sense of spiritual superiority will eventually translate into a sense of superiority in real life. For someone like her, if that goal is not achieved, the rest of her life is meaningless. For the meaning of life is what they give to themselves, not to others. It can be said that the pursuit of freedom of such people represented by Wang Cailing is a kind of spiritual freedom.
In Mona Lisa smile, in addition to awakening the girls' self-consciousness, it also profoundly expounds the freedom of women. Except to realize that they are not the accessories of the family, it is necessary to know that the freedom of women also lies in the right to make independent choices. This can be found in Catherine's conversation with Joan. Joan chose her family and give up the opportunity to study law at Yale university. Although she returned to her family, it was the life she wanted. No matter what kind of choice, as long as they really want, should be respected. This is the true meaning of female freedom.
Third, what can we learn from it? We can find that the plots of the two films are closely related to the historical background. It can be said that the era created the conditions for the emergence of the story, but also the era set the limits of the development of the story. In And the Spring Comes, China is in the early stage of Reform and Opening up. Although the degree of social opening has been improved, society is still relatively backward. Besides, the fate of the three protagonists in the film is also related to the social objective conditions of the time. Successful artists need to make the audience like their art, so they can be considered successful. But at that time, Chinese people were more concerned about food and clothing, so there was no room for artistic development. It was not entirely unexpected. In Mona Lisa Smile, because the rapid postwar prosperity of the United States and the influence of the American dream have laid the foundation for the liberation of people's minds, the girls was able to find themselves. If not, why should girls be educated to study art? And the performance of the girls in the film also shows that they are a group of girls with independent thoughts and personalities.
To sum up, the two films show the themes of pursuing dreams, freedom and independence to audiences from different cultural backgrounds of east and west. Moreover, through the comparison of the two films in different historical backgrounds, we can also feel the profound influence of the times on people. Furthermore, the protagonists in both films achieve self-growth and find their own identity and identity. Although the result is different, but in a way, the two films gives us inspiration and encouragement, and also makes us understand how meaningful it is for us to bravely pursue ourselves when we face difficulties.
After watching And the Spring Comes and Mona Lisa Smile, we are more inclined to attribute the theme of these two films to personal pursuit. What kind of characters' fates after experiencing individual pursuit will be in different historical backgrounds? What are the different pursuits between the two films? What can we learn from it? Below, we will carry out specific analysis from the above aspects.
First, what kind of characters' fates after experiencing individual pursuit will be in different historical backgrounds? In both films, the time of the former is the 1990s, when China was undergoing great changes of Reform and Opening up and socio-economic differences were gradually enlarged. Wang Cailing is the epitome of millions of people who seek to achieve their personal goals in developed cities. But the latter lived in the United States in the 1950s. After World War II, the happy housewife was the typical image of American women in this period, and the number of women returning to the family surged.
It is not difficult to find that the protagonists in the former are actively seeking freedom, while the latter is actively returning to the family and finding themselves under the encouragement of Catherine. Thus, this plot is closely related to the historical background of the time. The reform of China has affected the cognition of every ordinary person, and the search for a new world and personal values are consistent with the characteristics of the times in this period. The American call for women to return home is also closely related to the traditional American view of women and the shadow of the cold war. Therefore, the historical background is closely related to the fate of the characters at that time. Without China's epoch-making reform, Wang Cailing would have had little courage to pursue her own destiny. If America does not require women to return to the family, how can the group of lively girls have such a deep-rooted feudal ideology?
Second, what are the different pursuits between the two films? In our opinion, there are two differences between the two films, one is the pursuit of different goals, the other is the pursuit of different freedom. In the aspect of pursuing different goals, it can be found in And the Spring Comes that Wang Cailing is an independent woman, who pursues her dream and desires to come true her dream. She had a passion for opera and longed to be an actress at the Central Opera Theatre. When Hu Jinquan said they were a group, she immediately retorted, "you are against the world, and I am against the ordinary." Thus, we can find that she is a person with ideals and pursuits. This pursuit became a way to redeem oneself and change one's destiny. But in Mona Lisa Smile, the talented girls' access to higher education was restricted by feudal ideology, and their personal consciousness was killed. Becoming an excellent housewife is their pursuit, and they finally found the meaning of being themselves with the help of Catherine. This pursuit is aimed at self-awareness.
In the different aspects of the pursuit of freedom, the art in And the Spring Comes is still not widely loved by the general public, let alone the small cities of the early 1990s. So the the protagonist's persistent pursuit of art with Wang Cailing as the representative is bound to be a tragedy. After experiencing numerous blows, she still chose the unremitting pursuit of art. In addition to her love for art, the deeper reason is that she can acquire a sense of spiritual superiority, which comforts her to be different from the ordinary people. This sense of spiritual superiority will eventually translate into a sense of superiority in real life. For someone like her, if that goal is not achieved, the rest of her life is meaningless. For the meaning of life is what they give to themselves, not to others. It can be said that the pursuit of freedom of such people represented by Wang Cailing is a kind of spiritual freedom.
In Mona Lisa smile, in addition to awakening the girls' self-consciousness, it also profoundly expounds the freedom of women. Except to realize that they are not the accessories of the family, it is necessary to know that the freedom of women also lies in the right to make independent choices. This can be found in Catherine's conversation with Joan. Joan chose her family and give up the opportunity to study law at Yale university. Although she returned to her family, it was the life she wanted. No matter what kind of choice, as long as they really want, should be respected. This is the true meaning of female freedom.
Third, what can we learn from it? We can find that the plots of the two films are closely related to the historical background. It can be said that the era created the conditions for the emergence of the story, but also the era set the limits of the development of the story. In And the Spring Comes, China is in the early stage of Reform and Opening up. Although the degree of social opening has been improved, society is still relatively backward. Besides, the fate of the three protagonists in the film is also related to the social objective conditions of the time. Successful artists need to make the audience like their art, so they can be considered successful. But at that time, Chinese people were more concerned about food and clothing, so there was no room for artistic development. It was not entirely unexpected. In Mona Lisa Smile, because the rapid postwar prosperity of the United States and the influence of the American dream have laid the foundation for the liberation of people's minds, the girls was able to find themselves. If not, why should girls be educated to study art? And the performance of the girls in the film also shows that they are a group of girls with independent thoughts and personalities.
To sum up, the two films show the themes of pursuing dreams, freedom and independence to audiences from different cultural backgrounds of east and west. Moreover, through the comparison of the two films in different historical backgrounds, we can also feel the profound influence of the times on people. Furthermore, the protagonists in both films achieve self-growth and find their own identity and identity. Although the result is different, but in a way, the two films gives us inspiration and encouragement, and also makes us understand how meaningful it is for us to bravely pursue ourselves when we face difficulties.
