literature

Mothers and Daughters: A Brave Essay 1-2

Deviation Actions

HAFanForever's avatar
By
Published:
9.6K Views

Literature Text

Introduction

Pixar's latest film Brave is an animated movie that I like very much. In fact, I'm a big lover of animation in general, most especially of films made by Disney with and without the partnership of Pixar. Brave is Pixar's thirteenth feature film, and I've seen all of the others, except for the Cars films. Before I saw Brave, I had read about how last year's film Cars 2 was the film that broke the studio's streak of critical success, as more of the reviews were mixed, and even the first Cars had gotten slightly less positive reception than the Pixar films before it. Reviews for Brave have been mostly positive, and according to the site Rotten Tomatoes, its percentage of positive reviews have been higher than those for both Cars films. I think that Brave still didn't get as many good reviews as all other films before it because critics who were disappointed with Cars 2 were hoping for another major groundbreaker.

Brave marks several firsts for Pixar, as have most of their films in one way or another. It's their first film to have a female protagonist, the first to take place in a historical setting (it is set in the Highlands of 10th century Scotland), and it is also their first fairy tale. However, it departs from the traditional fairy tale storyline, in that the princess of the story, Merida, does not have a love interest in the film. This was the intention of Brenda Chapman, the original director of the film. Although not a traditional romance story between a princess and a man (a prince or a commoner), Brave is a still a love story, as it focuses on the relationship between Merida and her mother, Queen Elinor. Chapman's main inspiration for this was the relationship she had with her own daughter, and it also combined her love of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. From the one part of the inspiration, she loosely based Elinor on herself and Merida on her daughter, Emma.

The third Pixar film to be given a PG rating, as well as their third film to have humans as the main cast of characters, Brave is somewhat darker and more mature in tone than its previous films, even more so than The Incredibles and Up, both of which were also rated PG. As some of the content might be a little hard for younger children to understand, it might be why they and some critics wouldn't like it very much. Personally, I wouldn't consider Brave Pixar's best movie ever, but it's definitely not their worst, either. I honestly really did enjoy it, for several reasons. Like many of the Pixar films before it, the animation was really good, particularly because of how they illustrated a majestic place like Scotland, especially with its landscapes. That authenticity is what made me enjoy the film, along with the fact that they used English and Scottish actors to voice the characters, and the soundtrack consisted of Scottish music. I also really liked how it broke the tradition of typical fairy tale stories for past Disney animated features, which is that a princess meets a prince or some other male suitor, falls in love with him, and later marries him. Unlike past Disney princesses, Merida is not very excited about marriage or even ready to get married, even though she is expected to at her age. In the end, they keep her single and she is given the decision to get married when she's ready and wants to. I also love Merida as a character regarding her differences from other typical princesses, especially in that time period.

But what I like best about Brave is how it explores Merida and Elinor's relationship, which really is the focal point of the film, and many of my favorite scenes are ones that feature them together. That's why I decided to do this essay, because I see a lot of psychological setups between them that can be interpreted in several ways, especially in those scenes of them together. So I will discuss the synopsis of the film, particularly scenes or short moments that feature Merida and Elinor together, and occasionally throw in my own personal thoughts regarding what I understand about them during those points in the movie. However, because I really do have a lot to say, I will be splitting the sections of the film's summary combined with my personal thoughts on the scenes into two parts, namely based on the two halves of the film. On an interesting side note, since this relationship is the core of the film, it seems to be symbolized in the film's logo: there is a stylized representation of Merida in the "B" and Elinor in the "E." Merida's representation is her bow's ornament, while Elinor's representation is her necklace.


Merida – Princess of DunBroch

The lead character of Brave is Merida, a Scottish princess who lives in the Highland clan of DunBroch with her parents, King Fergus and Queen Elinor, and her younger triplet brothers, Princes Hamish, Hubert, and Harris. As Fergus and Elinor's oldest child, Merida is the heir to the throne of DunBroch; she is sixteen years old, has long, curly red hair and blue eyes, and loves archery, swordplay, and horseback riding on her Clydesdale, Angus. Her prized possession is a small, white bow that was given to her by Fergus on her sixth birthday and she has grown up to be one of the best archers ever seen. Merida's personality is very different and unexpected for a Disney princess, especially for the time period in which the story takes place. She is very bold, outgoing, free-spirited, independent, tomboyish, and adventurous, and as a young woman, she also stands out because she does not care about possessing the qualities or activities of interest of a lady. She also appears to be realistic, more so than other princesses, about the restrictions that are placed on her life as a princess and as a woman in general for the time period. Because of her independent nature, Merida hates that her whole life is planned out for her as the princess and heir of DunBroch. She is expected to put her royal responsibilities before her own personal feelings and to enjoy or pursue only whatever is graceful or elegant. With all of this, she always feels that it's very unfair that people make all decisions for her, and that she has to go along with them and cannot change them once they are made. She virtually has no say in whatever she does or wants to do, what she likes, or how to live her own life. It appears that she has to do as she is told all the time, make no objections to them, and make an effort to enjoy them, regardless. As such, it has also made her very headstrong, rebellious, hot-tempered, defiant, stubborn, impulsive, and sometimes irresponsible. Her traits and interests show that Merida has grown up to be a lot like her father, and she also gets her blue eyes and red hair from him. On a side note, her curly red hair is bright, wild, and impossible to control, which is a perfect representation of her nature, especially with her hot temper.


Fergus and Elinor – King and Queen of DunBroch

Merida's parents, Fergus and Elinor, are the rulers of DunBroch, and they are about as opposite as a couple can be, from their physical appearances to their personalities. Elinor is a very slender woman who actually dresses like royalty, with her elegant dresses, neat way of wearing her hair, and she wears a small crown. Fergus is a very big and muscular man who does not dress like a typical king, because he wears a plaid kilt and an armor suit over his undershirt (which is sometimes a chain mail one), he wears a metal helmet, and the cape he sometimes wears is made of bear fur. Fergus is known for being the kingdom's war-leader and a skilled warrior, especially in sports, including archery and swordplay. However, he can also be immature, boisterous, and impulsive, especially since he loves to join brawls that occur between the clans of the kingdom. On the other hand, Elinor is a perfectionist and tries to live up to that by following her beliefs in how a lady achieves perfection: she is always very calm, prim, proper, elegant, and ladylike. Known for being the kingdom's peacekeeper and diplomat, she is very strict, conservative, and a stickler for good manners, rules, and laws, especially when it comes to ruling the kingdom. She relies on laws and traditions to ensure that the kingdom remains running smoothly and no harm comes to it.


The Bonds of Family

Despite their differences, Fergus and Elinor are shown to love each other very much and they love their children, too. However, Merida's relationships with her parents are not the same. Because they are so much more alike, Merida and Fergus get along so well with each other, and he is very proud of Merida for her excellent skills in archery and swordfighting. But Elinor is like a typical queen or lady of a Disney movie: she is almost the exact opposite of Merida with her graceful and elegant demeanor. Because Merida is next in line to be the ruler of DunBroch, Elinor frequently gives Merida lessons as a preparation on what Merida is supposed to do and know for when the day comes when she will become queen. However, because Elinor is a perfectionist, she has all sorts of rules for Merida on how a princess should behave and what she should do. She forever picks on and criticizes Merida when she sees her stepping out of bounds if she exhibits behavior that isn't ladylike. Elinor uses these rules to keep Merida in check with her lessons and duties, but the more she does it (which is literally a lot), the more she pushes Merida away, and this causes a great deal of friction between them. Merida is a perfect example of a child who rebels when one or both of the parents are so strict with her or him, and by strict, I mean of how Elinor literally tries to control every part of Merida's life, from the way she should laugh to the way she should eat. Elinor's lessons with Merida even make her appear as if she is putting her role as a queen first over her role as Merida's mother. I'm sure that, as a parent, in her own way, she is proud of Merida for being an amazing archer, but she feels that, since she is a princess, Merida should act more like one by exhibiting ladylike behavior and interests.

Although very little is revealed about Elinor's past, she really is the second most important character in the film after Merida. It seems that she is the kind of person who accepts any responsibility and the things expected of her without questioning them, as if she knows it's her place. By being that way, she clearly expects Merida to be just like her in order to be a proper queen, and to know her place with that role. It appears that anything different and unexpected is just what Elinor cannot handle. She likes things to remain the same, which is why she follows laws and traditions to rule the kingdom, and she wouldn't know what to do if any big changes occur. This would explain why she doesn't accept the fact that Merida is different, both as a princess and as a person in general, but also because her personality is very different from her own (Elinor). The latter could definitely be expected since she appears to be the kind of mother who wants her daughter to be exactly like her, so she tries to mold Merida to be that way. This is apparent because she notices how Merida is much more like Fergus and less like her, and with this, Merida and Fergus get along so well, but Elinor and Merida do not get along so well anymore. Merida's behavior is unique, but very different and unexpected for a woman of her time, and her mother cannot handle her because of that, no matter how hard she tries. The conflict that she has with her mother is what makes Merida rebel, much like typical rebellious teens would do when they have a lot of conflict with their parents. And like parents of troubled teens, Elinor gradually comes to a point when she feels that she doesn't know what else to do to control Merida. Many parents feel like this especially if their children exhibit behavior that is very contradictory to their own, so they don't know how to handle it.


Plot Rundown and Personal Thoughts – Part 1

The film begins with a short prologue, set on Merida's sixth birthday, where the royal family is on an outdoor picnic. Elinor makes her first appearance searching and calling for Merida, showing that they are playing hide-and-seek. Merida is hiding under a table, but quickly moves to hide somewhere else before her mother finds her there. After not finding her under the table, Elinor asks out loud where Merida is and says she will gobble her up when she finds her. Then Merida comes up behind Elinor, who sees her and catches her before she runs away. She shows her love and affection for Merida by holding her in her arms and plays eating her and making munching sounds as she does. Elinor objects when she sees Fergus putting his bow on the picnic table, and grows slightly nervous when he gives Merida her own bow as a present and starts teaching her archery. Merida shoots an arrow far into the forest and Elinor lets her go off to retrieve it. Once she is alone with Fergus, Elinor says, "A bow, Fergus? She's a lady!" This obviously shows that Elinor does not approve of Merida learning archery, and thinks that she should be interested in anything more fit for a princess; namely anything that is elegant and ladylike. Her words also suggest that Fergus did not discuss this with her and went ahead and gave it to Merida without Elinor's permission. After Merida retrieves the arrow, she encounters some will-o'-the-wisps, and follows them back to her camp. She tells her parents what she saw, but only Elinor seems to believe her and in the existence of the wisps. As she picks Merida up and starts to carry her away, she tells her that Fergus doesn't believe in magic. Then Merida suddenly screams when she spots the demon bear Mor'du. As Elinor runs away with Merida, then flees with her on her horse, Fergus stays behind to fight the bear.

The film then moves ahead to ten years later, when Fergus has a peg leg ever since he lost his leg to Mor'du from the earlier battle, Elinor has given birth to the triplets, and Merida has become a skilled archer and adventurous teenager. Merida gives a voiceover about what has happened during this time and about her restrictions as a princess, particularly of how Elinor is in charge of every single day of Merida's life. Teenage Merida makes her first appearance in this scene at the castle's doorway: the doors open and reveal Merida just outside them, about to bite into an apple. At the same time, her family members are sitting at their thrones. Upon seeing Merida, Elinor groans, then gives her a look that says, "Straighten up," since she thinks that Merida biting into the apple is unladylike. Merida takes one bite of the apple, tosses it away as she wipes her mouth off with the back of her hand, then marches into the Great Hall and takes her seat at her throne. Once she does, Elinor gives her another disapproving look, which is likely because Merida did a sloppy gesture of wiping her mouth with her hand and did not walk slowly and gracefully into the hall. It is by this time that Elinor has already been giving Merida lessons on how to be a proper princess, and a montage is shown of several brief scenes with these lessons. Throughout them, Elinor gives Merida lessons on public speaking, geography about the kingdom, and pursuing traditions like playing instruments and training falcons. However, she not only instructs Merida on what a princess is supposed to do, but continuously tells her what kind of behavior she should and should not exhibit, especially if she sees Merida acting unladylike. The montage ends with Elinor telling Merida that a princess strives for perfection, and Merida looks at her with a puzzled expression.

Overall, the whole scene shows us that, since the prologue, Merida and Elinor are no longer as close as they used to be since Elinor started grooming Merida with the lessons. Merida has grown up and has since gained her own mind and identity, which is not similar to that of Elinor's. It appears that Elinor thinks that not only should Merida put her royal duties before her own personal interests, but that Merida should be exactly like her in order to become a proper queen. It also seems that Merida tries to meet Elinor's expectations during the lessons, but she can never get anything 100% correct, no matter how much or how hard she tries. This is because Elinor, being a perfectionist, has her own ideas on how things have to be done in order to be perfect, and she feels that Merida is not giving it her best effort, even though Merida thinks just the opposite. Additionally, Elinor's behavior this time seems to be a contrast from her fun-loving and somewhat free-spirited nature in the prologue scene, partly because it doesn't say exactly why or when she began to be so strict with Merida. However, it's possible that she became more like that after Fergus lost his leg because he had to spend time recuperating and she was left to rule the kingdom on her own for a while after that. She and everyone else knew there was a chance that he might not have survived his injury, which meant that Elinor would have had the burden of ruling the whole kingdom and taking care of Merida all by herself. The whole experience would have left her shaken in such a way that she became very strict on keeping the kingdom running well and making sure her family stayed in line, too. And she put a lot of that strictness on Merida so that she would stay in line in terms of knowing what she needs to do when the time comes for her to rule DunBroch. Lastly, in the prologue, Elinor was the one who allowed Merida to go into the woods and retrieve the arrow, after which Mor'du appeared. So maybe her strictness and disapproving nature of Merida's tomboyish behavior goes back to that day, and she thinks about the worst on what could have happened to Merida and is determined to keep her from doing something that she believes could be dangerous, while Merida wouldn't see it that way.

On the day when she is free of lessons and expectations, Merida goes riding on Angus and practices her archery, then climbs the Crone's Tooth and drinks from the Fire Falls. All the time, the song "Touch the Sky" plays, and I think it's perfect for the scene, because it references Merida's adventurous and free-spirited nature, and her desire to be able to live her own life. This is also notable for being a time when she is away from home and especially from her mother. It's on these kinds of days when Merida feels that she can truly be herself, because Elinor has so many rules and expectations that pretty much tell us that she does not want Merida to be herself, namely because she feels that Merida's feisty and high-spirited personality is not right for a princess or a lady. Angus also acts as her ticket to freedom in this scene, because he is her horse and she rides on him to get away the castle and have her freedom. This is a lot like how teenagers of today use cars for similar purposes and desires. When Merida goes home and meets her family for dinner, she places her bow on the dinner table, and Elinor barely looks away from some papers she is reading as she once again corrects Merida by saying that a princess does not place her weapons on the table. Then she further expresses her displeasure at Merida's love of weaponry by adding, "A princess should not have weapons, in my opinion." Merida tries to get her mother's attention by telling her about her adventure, but only Fergus and the triplets really listen to her and express their amazement. Elinor keeps her eyes on the the papers when Merida tells about her adventure, and even still when she asks, "What did you do, dear?", which shows that she didn't pay attention to Merida at all. Merida just sighs and says, "Nothing, Mum," which indicates that she is sure her mother would not approve of what she did, as always, so she doesn't dare repeat what she said. Elinor finally looks away from the papers enough to see Merida's big plate of muffins and complains that they will give Merida collywobbles.

The rest of the scene is when Elinor receives and tells Merida and Fergus the news that the lords of the kingdom's three neighboring clans have accepted the offer to present their sons as suitors for Merida's betrothal. I thought that this moment was what really started to tip Merida's temper and friction with her mother even more. When she is told about the betrothal, her reaction indicates that it was the first time she had ever heard of it. This may make some people think that she is against marriage entirely or even having a romantic relationship. But I really think that what made her upset about it was the fact that it was a forced and arranged marriage, and especially that it was going to happen to her very soon. It's another thing that Merida has to go through without any real say or choice in the matter. Elinor had announced the news in an excited manner, and she clearly expected Merida to be happy, too. But on the contrary: Merida was shocked and not at all happy about it. As she tries to protest with her parents, Elinor says, "Honestly, Merida, I don't know why you're reacting this way." Then she eagerly explains to Merida that the sons of the lords will compete in this year's Highland Games, with the winning prize being Merida's hand in marriage. But Merida only feels angry and exasperated over being forced to do something against her will again, due to her being a princess (not to mention she doesn't want to be treated as a prize to win in a contest), so she pounds her fists on the table and shouts, "I suppose a princess just does what she's told!" Her anger rises up further when Elinor corrects her behavior for the umpteenth time by saying that a princess does not raise her voice. When she tells Merida that this is what she had been preparing for her whole life, Merida storms out and declares, "No, it's what you've been preparing me for my whole life! I won't go through with it! You can't make me!" Elinor refuses to leave her be, so she follows Merida to her room and tells the tale of the lost kingdom and how the oldest prince caused the kingdom to fall to ruin after splitting from his brothers and following his own path. As she tells the tale, she illustrates it by using four chess pieces as the princes and the board as the kingdom, with the pieces in all four corners and others on top of it. Then she pulls out the piece that represents the oldest prince, and the board tilts and the pieces collapse to the floor. Elinor wants to shock Merida by trying to make her realize that she is a lot like that prince (though it doesn't work), and warns her that failure to marry could harm DunBroch and end the alliance of the kingdom's four clans. Her words of wisdom are "Legends are lessons. They ring with truths." But like all other times where Elinor has told her what she should and shouldn't do, Merida refuses to believe her mother's words and remains adamant on believing that the betrothal is unfair. At a loss for words when her mother says that marriage isn't the end of the world, she angrily slams her bedroom door after Elinor leaves.

As Elinor works on a tapestry that portrays the royal family, she tells Fergus that she feels that she is at her wit's end about getting Merida to accept her responsibilities as the heir of DunBroch. By having Fergus pretending to be Merida, she practices saying exactly what she wants to say to Merida in order to get through to her on the importance of the situation. At the very same moment, Merida is in Angus's stall and talking to him in the same way Elinor is talking to Fergus, in how she wants to get through to her mother on her own feelings. It's by the time that we get to this scene that we realize through this and all past scenes that there is virtually no communication between mother and daughter. If there are any words exchanged between them, it's Elinor telling Merida what she is supposed to do or not do and Merida just sarcastically retorts those words or says nothing out of her annoyance and anger with her mother. I really like this whole scene because it shows how they feel the same way in trying to get the other person to really listen and understand their feelings about the situation, and it's no coincidence that both of their speeches end with "listen." This is especially with Merida, because she admits the reason of why she is upset over the betrothal, which is that she's just not ready for a big commitment and responsibility like marriage. From what we have seen in past scenes, Merida has no say in making her own decisions and taking control over her own life, but the betrothal makes her most upset because getting married is the ultimate step in her losing her freedom. With this speech practice, we realize that Merida wants to talk to her mother on how she's not ready for marriage, and she says that she is not doing this to hurt her mother. But I think she doesn't talk to her because she doesn't think that talking would do any good at all. Because Merida has been expected to put her royal duties before her own feelings, she feels that Elinor does this by putting her duties as the queen first and her duties as a mother second, so she feels that Elinor cares more about the well-being of the kingdom and less about her, if at all. She doesn't think that Elinor will genuinely listen to her or understand how she feels, and that is apparent when she said that she didn't know why Merida reacted the way she did to the news of the betrothal. So the whole scene shows how important it is for them to talk to each other, but it shouldn't be just one person doing the talking; if they actually sat down together, said everything that they wanted to say without one interrupting the other, and genuinely listened to each other, then the rift between them could get a little better.

On the morning when the clans arrive, Elinor prepares Merida by putting her into a tight dress and covering her entire head and neck with a hood called a wimple. Merida complains that she can't breathe or move well because the dress is too tight, but Elinor ignores her and just expresses her pleasure in how perfect and beautiful Merida looks. This scene marks the first time that we see Merida wearing a formal dress, which is tight and restricts her movements. It even somewhat changes the shape of her body, especially since her curly and wild red hair is tucked away. All other scenes show Merida in dresses that are simpler, looser, and more comfortable to move in, and they are noticeable for having no fancy designs on them and loose cloth at the elbows and shoulders. These dresses are a clear representation of her independence and love of freedom, because she loves being able to do what she wants when she wants to do it, and the dresses she often wears are loose in such a way that she can move freely and not be held back from doing her activities, not to mention she always keeps her hair out and never tucks it away. But now, she is being forced to take on a role that she feels she is not ready for and doesn't define her, especially one that is more restricting. The dress and wimple are literally covering up who she really is, which can be seen as another way of Elinor not allowing Merida to be her true self. Lastly, Merida's appearance in this scene looks very much like her appearance in Elinor's tapestry, which is what sticks out in terms of contrast to how her mother appears and acts in real life. Merida's image in the tapestry has her wearing a light blue, proper dress with a wimple over her head, and while her hair is shown to be long and curly, the way that it is only shown on her right side makes it seem as if her hair is neat (when it truly isn't). This seems to be a good way of representing how Elinor wants and is trying to mold Merida into being more like her. As Merida struggles, Elinor says her name and looks into her eyes as Merida does the same. She seems to want to tell Merida something important, but then she appears to change her mind and all she says is "Remember to smile," and Merida seems somewhat surprised and puzzled by her mother's apparent change of expression. What Elinor wanted to say to Merida was definitely going to be about the betrothal, and from the way she looked at Merida, you could that she wanted to be more understanding of Merida's feelings over this. It's likely that she wanted to say something along the lines of "I understand that this is all unfair and you may hate me for it now. But one day, you will understand the importance of this and thank me for it." The fact that she shook her head and only said to her "Remember to smile" shows that she didn't have the heart to tell Merida words like those, probably because she was afraid of how Merida would react if she did, such as Merida would not believe her words and they would fight over this all over again.

When she gets to her throne, Merida has trouble sitting down right, so she slumps onto her throne, and Elinor just motions with her finger for her to sit up straight. Merida reluctantly does, then she defiantly pulls out a curl from under her wimple and lets it fall between her eyes. Elinor notices and immediately tucks it back in, but after her mother takes her seat on her throne, Merida pulls out the curl again. After the clans enter, Lords Macintosh, MacGuffin, and Dingwall present their respective sons Young Macintosh, Young MacGuffin, and Wee Dingwall. Merida shows her disinterest in them, but also shakes her head in disgust as a brawl breaks out between the clans. Fergus tries to stop it after Elinor gives him a stern look, but it quickly starts up again and this time, Fergus jumps into it! Both Merida and Elinor are displeased in how it keeps going on, but Elinor finally puts a stop to it. As she walks through the brawl, everyone stops and gets out of her way when they see her. Fergus and the lords are the last people she comes across at the end of the hall, and like the clansmen, their eyes widen in fear when they see Elinor. She grabs them by the ears and drags back towards the thrones, then she lets go of them. This was a definitely a moment that I thought was a great way to illustrate Elinor's authority as the queen of DunBroch. During this whole time, Elinor remained calm (though she wore a displeased look on her face), and never said a single word as she walked through the men until she came to Fergus and the lords. Her doing that and dragging them by their ears makes them feel ashamed and apologetic for what they did. This makes it clear that all of the men have a great respect for Elinor and don't ever bother to question her authority. She is very wise and can handle anything, even when something steps out of bounds, such as a brawl occurring and her being able to put a stop to it. What amazes me the most is that she can get through to people when they go out of bounds by giving them a stern look, and not even speak a word.

After stopping the brawl, Elinor outlines the rules of the Highland Games, and she mentions that only the firstborn descendants of the clan leaders are eligible to compete for the hand of Merida. Hearing the word "firstborn" intrigues Merida and she listens very carefully to the rest of her mother's speech. When Elinor announces that the suitors' challenge is meant to be determined by the princess, Merida excitedly exclaims, "Archery! Archery." But when Elinor glances at her, Merida calms down and pretends to please her mother by being ladylike: she clasps her hands together and carefully announces, "I choose…archery." After Elinor announces for the Games to begin, the scene cuts to the events at the Games, including before the main competition begins. After her parents wish the suitors good luck, Merida smiles mischievously as she hides her bow and arrows on the side of her throne. By now, we realize that Merida is going to enter the competition because she believes that she is eligible to do so since she is the firstborn descendant of DunBroch. She chose archery because she knows that it is something at which she can beat the suitors, and then by entering the competition, she will win for sure and not have to get married to any of them. After all of the suitors have hit their targets (and Wee Dingwall manages to strike the bull's-eye by accident), Merida sneaks onto the field and shocks everyone by announcing what she plans to do, but Elinor is shocked the most. When she tries to shoot an arrow, the dress prevents her from doing so, so she stretches and bends over, which tears the seams and finally allows her the movements she needs to properly aim an arrow at the target. After making a bull's-eye on the first target, Elinor tells Merida to stop what she is doing, but Merida ignores her and scores again on the second target. By this time, Elinor is walking towards Merida at the third target, and just as she says, "I forbid it!", Merida releases the arrow, and she shocks everyone by splitting Wee Dingwall's arrow right down the center! Merida is very pleased, but then she turns to her left and comes face to face with Elinor, who is furious and drags Merida to the tapestry room, where they have a big fight.

The scene in which Elinor and Merida have their argument over Merida's actions at the Games is the scene that I was waiting for to happen, and I actually predicted words that they would say to each other, most of which were said. Before then, Merida and Elinor were constantly butting heads about how Merida is supposed to behave as a princess, and Elinor was forever criticizing her on how wrong she does things, so their anger at each other in this scene appeared to be the final straw for both of them. This seems to be evident for Elinor because after she throws Merida into the room, she exclaims, "I've just about had enough of you, lass!" Merida claims that she followed the rules of the Games, but her actions were more a way showing off and besting the suitors, which was humiliating to the lords and Elinor. This also angers Elinor because she is fed up with trying to get Merida to listen to her about what could happen to the kingdom if Merida does not get married, and now her actions could lead to fighting among the clans. But Merida is also angry because she is fed up in how her mother is always making her do things that she (Elinor) wants, and not what Merida wants. She complains about how Elinor is always telling her what to do or not to do, and when she says that she is not going to be like her mother, Elinor just dismisses her talk as nonsense and says that Merida is acting like a child. But then Merida becomes even angrier than before and walks over to the wall, which holds the tapestry of the royal family. Using a sword, she points at the image of Elinor in the tapestry and calls her a beast for trying to control and ruin her life. As she repeats that she will never be like Elinor, she pokes a hole into it while Elinor notices and tells her to stop. But Merida suddenly slashes the tapestry, specifically between the images of herself and Elinor (which were holding hands), and at the same time, she shouts, "I'd rather DIE than be like you!" As Elinor gasps in shock at what Merida said and did, Merida just angrily stares at her mother. Elinor finally loses her patience and temper with Merida and marches up to her. First, she takes the sword away and tosses it aside, then she takes the bow off of Merida's back and tosses it into the fireplace. Shocked at what her mother just did, Merida runs from the room in tears. Elinor calls after her, but when she hears the bow string popping in the fireplace, she immediately regrets what she has done and pulls it out of the fireplace. Seeing that she ruined something important to Merida, Elinor asks herself what she has done and weeps.

As I said before, this is the scene I was expecting to happen because Elinor and Merida finally seemed to have lost their patience and tempers with each other, and Merida's actions were the final straw in tipping the scale. But I actually like this scene as well because there are few things that happen in it that are important to notice, including for later scenes in the movie. Much like in the scene where they practice talking to each other, you realize by now that you don't want to side with one character over the other. You can shake your head at Merida because she refuses to accept her royal responsibilities, but also sympathize with her because her life is restricted and she wants her mother to accept her for her own person, not try to force her to be someone she isn't. The same goes for Elinor, because she can't expect Merida to be exactly like her 100%, whether as the future queen or as a person. And at the same time, you can also sympathize with her because she is determined to make sure that the kingdom remains running smoothly. This is especially when Merida and Elinor start to fight: as Merida tries to get her words out and pleads with her mother to listen to her, Elinor refuses and shouts, "I am the queen! YOU listen to ME!" This line really caught my attention because it captures Elinor's essence as being not only the queen, but the true ruler of DunBroch, and I don't think that's an exaggeration because Elinor handles all of the major work in the kingdom in terms of peacekeeping and diplomacy. Both mother and daughter have a point in trying to make the other person listen to what they want to say, but they are too stubborn and prideful to do so. Neither of them can back down and understand the situation through the other person's point of view. While Elinor had previously said to Fergus that Merida's stubbornness comes entirely from his side of the family, Elinor is just as stubborn as Merida, even though she denies it and just uses it to highlight how difficult Merida acts.

When Merida slashed the tapestry, she specifically tore the images of herself and Elinor apart. It's clear that she did this on purpose as a way of saying to Elinor "I hate you!" or "I want nothing more to do with you!", and this showed that their strained relationship seemed to reach the ultimate level for Merida for her to do something like this. On top of this, Merida showed no remorse at all after cutting the tapestry. Elinor was shocked at what Merida did for several reasons at once: the tapestry was something that she had been working on for a long time, and it represented her family. Because it displays her and the people she loves, Elinor put so much time and care into doing this right, and she's angry that Merida ruined something into which she put so much hard work. She also noticed the specific place where Merida had cut it, which told her that Merida was saying that she wanted nothing to do her. But the part that likely made her most upset was that, just as she slashed the tapestry, Merida exclaimed that she would rather die than be like Elinor. That would hurt her the most, because Elinor loves Merida very much and wants what's best for her, even though by now Merida does not think her mother feels that way about her anymore. And despite her defiance towards Elinor, including in this scene, it's very possible that Merida is a little bit afraid of her because Elinor has so much more authority over her, more so than Fergus does. When Elinor angrily marches up to Merida after she had cut the tapestry, Merida's angry expression quickly changes to one of fear. She remains looking afraid when Elinor takes her sword and bow away, and during this moment, it is obvious that Elinor has lost her patience with Merida so much that finally says to Merida the very words that I knew she wanted to say and had been thinking, but never said it until now: "Merida, you are a princess, and I expect you to act like one!" Following that, she does what I thought she would do in the heat of her anger: she finally takes Merida's bow away from her and tries to get rid of it by burning it. By now, Elinor's words and actions show that she has had enough of Merida's stubborn and defiant behavior, and the fact that she doesn't act like an expected princess after all of her trying to get her to do so. She doesn't want a princess to have weapons, which is why she takes the sword and bow away, but she burns the bow because she's had it with Merida enjoying something that isn't at all ladylike. I thought that was interesting in how she never did that before, because she clearly thinks it's wrong for Merida to pursue an unladylike activity like archery. We saw that even in the prologue and the dinner scenes, Elinor clearly disapproves of Merida having a bow and arrows and practicing archery. Yet she doesn't forbid her from doing it, and you think she would, since she already has so many rules on what Merida should be doing or not as a princess and/or as a lady. I think that by this point, she was even angrier with Merida for ruining the tapestry that she got even with her by throwing the bow into the fire. However, once Merida was out of the room, she was horrified at what she did and retrieved the bow before it was completely burned. She clearly didn't mean to harm it; it was just in the heat of her anger. Part of the reason why she probably never did anything to the bow until now is because she was present when Fergus gave Merida the bow, and being a gift from her father makes the bow very special to Merida. Now I thought that the moment when Elinor retrieves the bow was important, especially since only the audience sees it happen. It shows us that Elinor does care about what Merida likes and what's important to her, and that's especially noticeable because Elinor starts crying afterwards, meaning that she had remorse. The tapestry could be mended, but the bow may not have so much of a chance. But more than that, Elinor loves Merida so much and feels ashamed to have caused her pain by burning something that is very beloved to her. By this time, though, Merida thinks that her mother no longer cares about her and only about the kingdom. It makes sense during their argument, because Merida protests of how Elinor had never been there for her and does not ask her what she wants. This is really the moment in the movie in which Merida and Elinor's relationship was badly damaged, though not completely destroyed.

As her mother sobs in the tapestry room, Merida also sobs as she takes off on Angus and they ride away from the castle, which would make sense after what Elinor did, because she just wouldn't want to be in the castle now. She wouldn't care where they were going, as long as they were going further away from the castle. And it wasn't just because her bow was ruined, but that she was angry and frustrated about being forced to get married, and basically how her whole life is planned out without her having any real say in it. As they ride further into the forest, Angus stops suddenly and throws her, and she finds that they have come upon a mysterious Ring of Stones, where she finds a wisp. Soon a whole trail of them appears, and she follows them to a cottage where a witch posing as a woodcarver lives. Using a necklace that Elinor had given her earlier that day, Merida bargains with the witch to buy all of her carvings along with a spell, which is to change her mother, in order to change her fate. As she prepares to work her magic, the witch tells Merida that she had made a similar bargain before with a prince. He had asked for a spell that would give him the strength of ten men, and he paid for it with his clan's ring, which contains two axes crossing each other. Merida asks if the prince got what he wanted, and the witch confirms it. The witch creates a spell in the form of a cake, and this initially puzzles Merida on how it will help solve her problem. Nevertheless, she goes home and to the kitchen, where she makes the cake presentable to Elinor. Coincidentally, Elinor is the first person she sees when she gets home, and right in the kitchen. When she sees her, Elinor grabs Merida and strokes her hair, and admits that she was worried about Merida, so she's relieved that she's home now. Given everything that's recently happened, Merida is surprised that Elinor was worried about her, and she's initially hoping that the betrothal plans have changed, but is dismayed when Elinor says that the lords are still there and that they still expect an answer on which suitor Merida will choose to marry. Merida scowls at this, which indicates that she still believes that Elinor does not care about her, and was only worried that she was gone because they wouldn't be able to settle things with the lords had she not come back, and now they can since she is back. She realizes that she is at a dead end now, so she offers Elinor the cake as a "peace offering," which surprises Elinor, but also pleases her. She takes a small bite, but soon finds that it tastes very strange. As Elinor drinks some tea to help swallow the cake, Merida asks her if she feels any different, namely if she has changed her mind about the marriage. She is disappointed when it seems to have no effect as Elinor leads her to the lords, but almost immediately after they leave the kitchen, Elinor begins to feel ill and tells Merida to take her to her room. The lords intercept them to know if a decision has been made, but Elinor feels too sick to settle the matter right now. Merida helps her mother get comfortable in bed, and asks again if she has changed her mind about the marriage. Elinor falls off the bed along with the blanket, and Merida becomes concerned when her mother makes an ill-sounding groan. But as Elinor stands up, the blanket begins to fall off, and Merida is shocked when it falls off completely and reveals a bear!

After screaming in fear at seeing it, and noticing that the bear appears shocked at its appearance, Merida quickly realizes that this bear is actually Elinor, then she quizzically and angrily exclaims why the spell turned her into a bear, as she feels that the witch ripped her off. Elinor gives Merida a sharp look after hearing Merida's words, and Merida protests that it wasn't her fault. She didn't ask to have Elinor changed into a bear, but realizes that she inadvertently got what she wanted, as she says, "I just wanted her to change…you." Because she is now a bear, Elinor lets out her anger at Merida by roaring in her face. Now when I first saw the movie, I was definitely surprised with this moment where Elinor turns into a bear. I was also a little bit puzzled in how it would make the story work, and my reaction was the same as Merida's: "Why a bear?" But then I thought back to the scene of their argument and I remembered when Merida called Elinor a beast for controlling her life. Then in this scene, Elinor becomes one, so it physically symbolizes the very thing that Merida sees her as (though she doesn't specifically call her a bear). And this just further complicate matters because any communication between them by then is just about impossible since that is already the root of their problem, along with the fact that Elinor can no longer literally speak with Merida. This seems to be shown some when Merida realizes that she has to get Elinor out of the castle before Fergus sees her and kills her, and she initially has trouble getting Elinor's attention enough to have her listen to her so they can leave the castle without Fergus and the clansmen seeing them. Having heard Elinor roar, Fergus suspects that a bear is in the castle and orders the clansmen to follow him upstairs. Luckily, the triplets help Merida by showing the shadow of a chicken on the wall and making it look like that of a bear. They use this trick to lead the hunting party in the wrong direction, far enough so that Elinor can get out before the men can spot her.
Full Title: Mothers and Daughters: A Brave Essay
Notes: Merida and Elinor's relationship is really the heart of Pixar's Brave, so I've written this essay about them, and it gives an analysis on their relationship based on various, important scenes from the movie. This entire essay was so long that I had to split it into two parts on this site.

Here is the link to the second half of this essay: hafanforever.deviantart.com/ar…
© 2013 - 2024 HAFanForever
Comments47
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In

thanks but I need help for [url=http://google.com]google[/url] work of my area