My Big Fat Greek Wedding: A Narrative Analysis Essay Example

the main character as Toula Portocaulous, who serves as narrator to film. This is a fitting choice, as the movie is based on her life as a 30-year-old daughter of Greek immigrants living in American society. She provides audiences with the necessary background and plot information they may need throughout the movie. Further, her narration explains the various elements of Greek culture in the text that non-Greek viewers may find unfamiliar.

As a result, producers may have chosen to include her as a tool to eliminate any confusion that could prevent their preferred meaning from being sent and understood by viewers. Toula’s father, Gus Portocaulous, is an essential character choice as he teaches viewers that the Greek culture is male-oriented. His character is stout, overly proud and controlling; he is often heard screaming to his family that he is the head of the house, and is portrayed as the family’s main decision maker, source of financial stability, and income.

As a character then, he suggests to viewers that Greek men are authoritative figures who demand respect, power, and obedience from women, children and all those beneath them in the social ranks. His wife, Maria Portocalous on the other hand, teaches viewers that in Greek culture, women are viewed as inferior to men. A heavy set woman, she is often seen “doing her duties:” cooking, cleaning, raising the children, and teaching Sunday school. Her character then, reinforces the lesson that Greek culture is male-oriented as she is portrayed as more of her husband’s sidekick than his life partner.

Athena, the oldest Potrocalous child may have been chosen to convey the elements of the

ideal, “perfect” Greek woman: she is smart, beautiful, and has already “done her job” by Greek standards. Though young, she is married to a Greek man, and already has three children which highlights how in the Greek world, a woman’s greatest (and possibly only) responsibility is to find a husband and raise a family. On the contrary, Nick Portocalous is the youngest Potocalous child and his character teaches viewers about the lifestyle of a young man in Greek society.

Unlike his sisters, Nick (being male) is never encouraged or pushed to find a spouse; his father even tells him he has “plenty of time. ” The choice to include Nick as a character is essential then as he suggests that a certain level of male favoritism may exist within Greek families. Further, his existence in the film also reinforces how male oriented the Greek heritage really is. The choices for the “American” characters are equally significant as they cleverly capture elements of the mainstream culture that viewers should be aware of.

For example, Ian Miller is a vital choice as he is a young, vegetarian teacher who captures the All-American qualities necessary to his role in the film. He is not dominant, but easy going and which indicates producers may have wanted audiences to see American men as less authoritative, more self serving individuals in society. His parents, Rodney and Harriet Miller are also essential character choices as they capture the typical upper middle class, conservative aspects of a White family in America. Rodney’s character is a quiet, wealthy lawyer who isn’t portrayed as overly dominant or talkative in the film.

His

character’s existence in the movie serves as a way to demonstrate a certain level of snobbery that exists among America’s social elite; the mindset that they are well off or somehow “better than others. ” Similarly, Harriet’s character conveys the qualities of the traditional, conservative, American wife to viewers. Her role in the film is very small, but she is portrayed as polite, relaxed and well kept. She also has a job as a lawyer and is presented as more of an equal to her husband than his inferior.

Further, she isn’t shown to be bound by the chains of traditional female roles (as the Greek women are shown to be). One may say these choices then, were made to eliminate confusion and highlight the differences that exist between these two cultural groups. In other words, the characters and setting choices were made to offer audiences a background on why sacrifice, flexibility and an open mind would be essential when dealing with intercultural conflicts. In terms of setting, the story takes place in modern day Chicago, Illinois in a few significant and cleverly chosen locations.

The first may be identified as the Portocalous home, which sits comfortably in a standard, middle class American neighborhood. The house however, is modeled after the Parthenon, complete with Chorinthian columns and statues of the Greek gods scattered on the front lawn. The garage has been painted an overt Greek Flag, while a real version hangs for all to see over the front door. The choice to make the house “stick out like a sore thumb” in the quiet neighborhood is clever; it suggests to viewers that Greek

people have an excessive amount of cultural pride, and that they aren’t shy about expressing it (even in a foreign land).

This lesson is also conveyed to viewers in another key setting location choice, the Portocalous family restauraunt. Properly named “Dancing Zorbas,” the restaurant is where the family earns their living, while proudly flaunting various elements of their Greek heritage to customers. For example, the restaurant is decorated with wall to wall murals of Greek scenery, the menu features only the most genuine Greek food, and Greek instruments and music are heard playing in the background.

The inclusion of this place then, almost suggests to viewers that Greeks may be so proud of their national roots that they may be a bit stubborn; they have been unwilling to integrate into American society and therefore, might not be the easiest of cultural groups to interact with. The restaurant is also significant as a setting choice because it accentuates the collectivistic, family oriented aspects of Greek culture. It is owned, staffed and run by the immediate Portocalous family, who come together as a unified team to make a living and support the family.

Further, it is a choice location in the film for family gatherings; a place where producers are able to assemble the “Big, Fat, Greek” characters in a single location to portray the norms and practices of Greek family life. While in this liminal, restaurant space, the obscenely large family (all twenty seven first cousins, aunts, uncles, and wacky grandmother) are seen capturing the stereotypical Greek family qualities: they are loud, in each others’ business, slightly obnoxious, yet evidently, very close.