"The Scent of the Green Papaya" follows the story of one servant girl named Mui. This girl has moved from family to family, and this film starts as she joins a new one. She ended walking many miles on her own just to come to this family and be its servant. Throughout the film, she prepares food and cleans the house with the family's other, older, servant. This older servant teaches her things along the way.
The family consists of a father, mother, grandmother, and three sons. The grandmother is usually found on the second floor of the house praying. The grandmothers prayer includes her tapping a wooden drum with a stick, and the sound is clearly audible from anywhere in the house. Once the tapping becomes quiet, then the family knows that the grandmother is done praying. Likewise, when Mui is preparing a papaya, an equally distinct noise is created by shaving and chopping the papaya. While the wooden drum represents prayer, the sound of cooking represents a woman at work in the kitchen.
Aside from the plot, there are plenty of events that reoccur and can be viewed as symbols. Both Mui and one of the family's sons, Lam, often observe ants. The scenes of Lam observing these ants include him pouring hot wax on them and killing them. Conversely, the scenes of Mui observing ants was one of compassion and wonder. It seems like the ants in this case represented the vietnamese people as a whole, while Lam and Mui symbolized either the French and Americans, or different types of government separating Vietnam.
Vases seem to be a motif of this film. There are always fine vases in different homes and they are highly valued. When Mui breaks one, it symbolizes that family's wealth and unity being hurt.
Later in the movie, when Mui is older and is working for a family friend, she puts on an elegant dress, fine jewelry, and the mistresses lipstick. She does this when she thinks she is alone, but eventually the man of the house finds her and she is embarrassed. Her desire to put on these beautiful clothes might represent the entire population of Vietnam in the sense that they want to be their own single beautiful country: not under the control of somebody else.
The family consists of a father, mother, grandmother, and three sons. The grandmother is usually found on the second floor of the house praying. The grandmothers prayer includes her tapping a wooden drum with a stick, and the sound is clearly audible from anywhere in the house. Once the tapping becomes quiet, then the family knows that the grandmother is done praying. Likewise, when Mui is preparing a papaya, an equally distinct noise is created by shaving and chopping the papaya. While the wooden drum represents prayer, the sound of cooking represents a woman at work in the kitchen.
Aside from the plot, there are plenty of events that reoccur and can be viewed as symbols. Both Mui and one of the family's sons, Lam, often observe ants. The scenes of Lam observing these ants include him pouring hot wax on them and killing them. Conversely, the scenes of Mui observing ants was one of compassion and wonder. It seems like the ants in this case represented the vietnamese people as a whole, while Lam and Mui symbolized either the French and Americans, or different types of government separating Vietnam.
Vases seem to be a motif of this film. There are always fine vases in different homes and they are highly valued. When Mui breaks one, it symbolizes that family's wealth and unity being hurt.
Later in the movie, when Mui is older and is working for a family friend, she puts on an elegant dress, fine jewelry, and the mistresses lipstick. She does this when she thinks she is alone, but eventually the man of the house finds her and she is embarrassed. Her desire to put on these beautiful clothes might represent the entire population of Vietnam in the sense that they want to be their own single beautiful country: not under the control of somebody else.
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