The film “The Scent of Green Papaya” follows the life of a young servant girl who goes to live with a wealthy Vietnamese family for ten years. It depicts her life through her daily work, her relationships with those around her, and her observations of those she lived with. The film has very few words and focuses on the simplicity of life and the enjoyment that one can get of the surrounding nature. The natural essence of the film is one of the biggest symbols; representing the beauty of nature and life and the true beauty in the everyday tasks. The green papaya is a perfect example of how the beauty of nature parallels the beauty of life. The green papaya can be seen as the beauty of house work that the women do; whether it be cooking or cleaning.
Another symbol from the film is the constant reference to the accumulating portraits of the various lost family members. They represent the ancestral struggles of a Vietnamese family and how those struggles perpetuate through many generations. One of those struggles is presented by the sound of the curfew bell. It is a constant reminder that there is a war within the country and this war manifests itself within the family as well. The men and women divided by their outlook on life; the men are very tricky and devious and the women are very calm, carrying out their daily chores. Another symbol of the war is the ants; they are a constant infestation like the French colonization of Vietnam. The different reactions by the men and women in the movie reflect their different demeanors about life. The ants are always constant, appearing in a few scenes and presenting themselves to various characters in the film. When the master’s son pours the wax on them and kills them it shows his discontent with the current French infiltration. All of these symbols are intertwined in the inner workings of the simplicity of life and how a film does not need many words to convey a strong message.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The film “The Scent of Green Papaya” follows the life of a young servant girl who goes to live with a wealthy Vietnamese family for ten years. It depicts her life through her daily work, her relationships with those around her, and her observations of those she lived with. The film has very few words and focuses on the simplicity of life and the enjoyment that one can get of the surrounding nature. The natural essence of the film is one of the biggest symbols; representing the beauty of nature and life and the true beauty in the everyday tasks. The green papaya is a perfect example of how the beauty of nature parallels the beauty of life. The green papaya can be seen as the beauty of house work that the women do; whether it be cooking or cleaning.
ReplyDeleteAnother symbol from the film is the constant reference to the accumulating portraits of the various lost family members. They represent the ancestral struggles of a Vietnamese family and how those struggles perpetuate through many generations. One of those struggles is presented by the sound of the curfew bell. It is a constant reminder that there is a war within the country and this war manifests itself within the family as well. The men and women divided by their outlook on life; the men are very tricky and devious and the women are very calm, carrying out their daily chores.
Another symbol of the Vietnamese people is the ants. The wax is a symbol for the war and the war to come with America. The ants are trapped in the wax just as the innocent Vietnamese people are trapped by the war with the United States.
All of these symbols are intertwined in the inner workings of the simplicity of life and how a film does not need many words to convey a strong message. Simplicity is the most important symbol in this film and is solidified within the character of Mui. She is the symbol of Vietnam; she always endured just as Vietnam did.