Song "Reflection" by Katie Mastrucci

     For my talent show performance, I sang the song “Reflection” from Disney’s Mulan. The reason I chose this piece is because it draws several distinct parallels to the themes present in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, for in some ways, Mulan can be compared to Victor Frankenstein’s monster. Both she and the monster are creations of a particular creator(s). Mulan is the creation of her parents, while the monster is the creation of his scientist-father. They both are born into a world that has certain expectations of them, standards that they feel forced to meet. The problem lies in that these expectations conflict with who they are and who they are even capable of being. Mulan’s parents and the ancient Chinese society in which she lives want her to mature into the perfect bride and obedient wife, and in all actuality, probably would have preferred if she had been born a boy. Victor Frankenstein, on the other hand, wanted his monster to be something beautiful, something testament to his genius and his efforts. Both Mulan’s parents and Victor Frankenstein desired something of which they could be proud, something they could present to society, but they are disappointed in what they have made and they shun their creations in response, ostracizing them from a world in which they feel no solidarity. At first, both Mulan and the monster lament their fates, but they soon turn this grief into action and revolt. Mulan disguises herself as a man and joins the army to the disgrace and dishonor of her family and her village, while the monster, after failing to find friendship with local cottagers, resolves to rampage across the countryside, terrorizing any and all who traverse his path. And so this song “Reflection” is an expression of both Mulan’s and the monster’s grief, and it effectively conveys society’s disapproval of their wayward ways.