Tension Between Mwan And Mulan

One type of travel companion the protagonist has is supernatural. For Mulan, Mushu fills that role, and Maui does the same in Moana. Mushu is an ancestral dragon, while Maui is a demigod. Both characters share a similar backstory that convinces them to undertake the journey with the protagonist. The characters were once trusted by higher supernatural beings, ancestor spirits for Mushu and gods for Maui, but these men made a mistake that has left them forsaken. For example, Mushu’s mistake was dubbed “a disaster” that ended with the decapitation of one of Mulan’s ancestors, and Maui stole the heart of Te Fiti, which brought about a life-draining darkness. Despite being deserted, these characters are overconfident and constantly project an image
Once training commences, Shang’s thoughts on Mulan worsen because while all the other men are also amateurs in combat fighting Mulan is by far the worst. Maui’s disdain for Moana stems from her insistence that he must restore the heart of Te Fiti, but it is strengthened by the fact that Moana does not know how to wayfind. Maui attempts to escape Moana by trapping her in a cave and continuously throwing her off the boat. Although Shang does not try to sabotage Mulan, the rest of the men do so during the training session because they all got off on the wrong foot. Nevertheless, the protagonist resolves to win their approval through hard work. At first, Mulan changes her peers’ minds by working overnight to retrieve the arrow from the first challenge. Once she gives training her all, the men are motivated to train harder and better themselves as well. The second time Mulan gains the soldiers’ but most notably Shang’s respect is when she saves Shang’s life and wipes out the Huns. Similarly, Moana earns Maui’s appreciation when she saves his life from Tamatoa’s wrath, and once more when she finally learns how to wayfind. In reality, the protagonist could have gone along for the ride and let the men do all the work, but she discovers that there is something inside of her that
Women are portrayed as quiet, obedient, beautiful, and fragile, and therefore, not fit for war. For example, Yao implies that women are helpless with his statement, “And there’s nothing you girls can do about it.” Another man who consistently puts down women is Chi-Fu. He acts defensive when he teased that he squeals like a girl, and that comment itself is constructed as an insult. Chi-Fu brushes off the fact that Mulan saved Shang and killed most of the Huns simply because it is revealed that she is a woman: “I knew there was something wrong with you. A woman! Treacherous snake.” Chi-Fu declares that women have no real value after Shang defends Mulan’s title as a hero. Furthermore, the soldiers sing a song about the girl who is worth going to battle for. They talk about her physical appearance, her admiration of his body and strength, her cooking skills, and her resolution that he is perfect. Even Mushu joins in by whistling at the women who work in the rice patty fields. Mulan counters these expectations by suggesting a girl who has a brain and speaks her mind, and they all respond with “nah.” Mushu constantly reminds Mulan that she is a woman and implies that she cannot do anything because of that fact. According to him, he’s the one who is teaching her how to act like a man and thus keeping her alive; however, everything that Mushu teaches her usually backfires and creates tension