"scent of the green papya"
...on between modern and traditional lifestyles and worldviews. For example, the clothing styles that Tran illustrates through Mui demonstrate how simple traditional values are compared to modern values. Traditional clothing styles are often more conservative than Modern styles, thus Mui is not concerned with superficial identities like make-up at the beginning of the film. But as the movie progresses, she is seen using lipstick to gain the attention of a young man. Mui thought her traditional look was too plain for the acceptance of the young man, yet it was her traditional values of patience that won the man heart. Through the vision of the filmmaker, a conflict is set up between modern and traditional values in the Vietnamese society. A scene in the film shows a young boy taunting Mui by pretending to spill her pail of water all over the floor while she is clean the floors. As the film progresses, Mui shows her tolerance towards the young boy by displaying patience, and yields to the persecution. The filmmaker illustrates the conflict between traditional and modern cultures through the eyes of Mui. The way Mui exhibits her emotion; the viewer experiences her struggles with modern time. Tran makes a statement towards Traditional values by giving Mui the trait of patience with others. The film makes the onlooker have a great respect for the simple things in life. As Mui sees the pure beauty in life, while she watches the grasshopper walk around, the viewer also experiences her compassion. In contrast, the young boy shows no compassion for life as he burns hot wax on the ants and pins flies up on the walls as if they were on exhibit. She also shows respect for life as she takes care of the insect. Tran shows how the traditional culture is full of sensory contact and the viewer experiences the contacts. Mui stares off in the distance day dreaming of her family and Tran shows the viewer that Mui is longing for her past. This part of the film shows how traditional values have compassion and understanding of life. The character of the fiancé, who demonstrates how the roles of the females have changed, contrasts to Mui’s quiet way. The film illustrates how Mui, as a woman, makes dinner for the family, a traditional value that the fiancé doesn’t possess because she likes to go out to dinner and spend money. The fiancé also shows the evolutionary change that modern women have experienced whe...