Women with Courage in Brave - Essay Example

3 March Women with Courage: Autonomous and Free Women in Brave What does bravery mean to women? For men, bravery can include displaying heroism in their inner and outer battles. Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman directed the 2012 Disney film, Brave, which shows how women exhibit their brand of bravery. This paper focuses on the arrow shooting competition scene to examine gender and identity issues. Three princes vie for Merida’s hand. As the eldest of her family, Merida believes that she can and should fight for her own hand too. The values of the scene depict the clash between traditional and non-traditional gender norms and roles. The scene challenges essentialist ideas about gender and identity issues because Merida undermines and opposes her family and community that promote the negation of women’s free will and autonomy. The scene exposes the binary distinction between traditional and non-traditional gender norms and conduct. Merida challenges essentialist norms about gender because she is not like typical princesses, who love beautifying themselves and preparing for romance and marriage. She dislikes making herself physically attractive to anyone, especially another man. She even hates acting and dressing like a princess because the tight clothing disables her from moving freely around and doing anything she wants. Figure 1 shows her slumped on the princess’ chair, instead of having the usual grand posture of a “real” lady, as her mother would have emphasized. Merida’s poor countenance and posture breach customary gender etiquette. Furthermore, Merida loathes having no free will in the events unfolding before her. Lady Elinor announces the goal of the arrow shooting competition. Whoever wins will marry her daughter. Merida shakes her head and looks sullen and dejected. See Figure 1. She contests the idea that she needs a man to vie for her, which fundamentally means, a man who will end her freedom and autonomy. Merida is unlike other princesses who are happily groomed to be married. Other princesses will be excited and eager to meet their princes, their future husbands. Lady Elinor prepares Merida for this stage in her life, but the latter has no inclination for a married life. The competition seems like a death sentence to her. In addition, romance usually serves as a driving force for princesses. Merida is not the typical princess at all because romance is the last thing on her mind. She wants adventure in the woods, shooting targets, and riding alone and free. As she blows out her exasperation, a stray hair falls on her face. It represents her stray nature, a nature that resists heteronormativity. Heteronormativity insists that as a princess, her greatest role in life is to be married off to a prince someday. She opposes heteronormativity because she does not want to get married and lose her precious freedom. Merida wants to own her life, including her decision for marriage. Figure 1: Sullen and Dejected Merida Aside from exploring the sharp contrast between traditional and non-traditional gender norms, the scene depicts a young woman’s struggle in defining new gender-identity relations. Merida disrespects the traditional connection between gender and identity, where she is expected to be, not just an ordinary woman, but a princess who will preserve traditional inter-clan marriage customs. The scene shows that the community generally blindly follows gender norms and traditional customs. Women, in particular, believe in the romantic notion of the competition. When the vain prince is shown, some of them swoon and fall in love with him. These people represent women who reinforce traditional gender norms and identity, where they allow their society-molded womanhood to dictate their interests and destinies. Merida is different from them. She opposes the traditional gender-identity relationship by defying traditions and gender roles. Figure 1 suggests that she is not someone who will accept her fate too easily. She will not be forced to marry anyone, just because society expects her to. Furthermore, Merida has her mother’s stubbornness. If Lady Elinor is bent on marrying her daughter to a deserving prince, Merida is equally bent in resisting everything that her mother wants her to be. Merida wants to control her gender and identity, which already started way before this competition, when she does not follow her mother’s training for her to be a lady, and when she goes off to her shooting treks in the woods. She does not intend to be an object for society to hold and control. Merida is prepared to assert her freedom and autonomy in defining her gender and identity. Figure 2: Women Swooning for a Vain Prince After defining new directions for gender and identity, a young princess clashes with traditions to assert her free will and autonomy. Merida is prepared to defy sacred customs, if it means that she can prove to her mother and society that she deserves to be free and independent. Her mother exclaims the grand criterion of the competition: “Only the firstborn may compete for the hand of the fair maiden.” The criterion depicts heteronormativity, where men choose women for their wives, with the latter having no say on such a personal matter. Society reinforces heteronormativity, when families prepare men and women for different roles and responsibilities. In this case, firstborn males, in particular, have the highest power in their families. Only they can vie for a princess’ hand in marriage. Merida flouts these customs, even if it means breaking her community apart. Figure 3 shows her vying for her own hand. She says: “I am Merida and I will be shooting for my own hand.” She introduces herself, which is a sign of autonomy. It depicts that she will not allow society to define her identity. Afterwards, Merida states her claim for her own hand. She underscores that she has free will to protect her own interests. If no one will do it for her, she will fight for her stake. Moreover, putting a dog in her seat is an allegory for slavery. She will not be a dog to society. She will not wait for scraps of freedom, when she can take it for her own. Merida will retrieve her freedom, though it includes a public demonstration of fighting for her hand. Figure 3: Defiant Merida While negating traditions, a young princess challenges and fights her own family to protect her freedom too. When Merida rips her dress, she rips her relationship with her mother as well. Her mother demands for Merida to stop shooting the targets. Merida dismisses her pleas and shoots every arrow, one bull’s-eye after another. See Figure 4 for the Perfect Shots. She is on target on what she believes in, which is her right to freedom and independence. However, she is off target when it comes to her mother. For traditional societies, daughters are expected to respect and obey their mothers at all times. When Merida split the last arrow, it symbolizes her split with her mother. Her mother stands for the traditional woman- beautiful, graceful, and obedient to customs. Merida crashes with the ideal and breaks it apart. She has just put an arrow on her mother’s heart, but it is a shot she is willing to take. Merida puts her interest before her family, which opposes traditional daughter roles and responsibilities. Figure 4: Merida’s Perfect Shots The scene explores sharp differences between essentialist and feminist gender norms. Merida defies heteronormativity when she shoots for her own hand and defeats all three suitors. The scene reflects Merida’s bravery, where she opposes family and society to fight for her identity. She questions womanly and princess roles and defines her own gender and identity. Traditional gender norms undermine her true identity, so she carves her own individuality, which is something brave and bold during her times. The scene argues that a brave woman is not fearful of consequences, if her own identity is at stake. A brave woman will shoot down the arrows of traditions. She will fight for her own hand at all costs. Works Cited Brave. Dir. Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman. Perf. Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios, 2012. Film. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. . Read More