Mona Lisa Smile

1464 Words6 Pages
Issues pertaining to women were once a suppressed subject matter. During the 1950s, men were the forerunners of the world and women simply accompanied them on their journeys. It has only been in recent years that women have had the doors opened for them to come into their own. Regardless of the progress that has been made in women breaking free from limited options and rights, there is still residue from the past. Women still struggle to balance their roles with family and career. Although women have much more freedom and choices these days, the process of choosing which path to go down is still challenging. Most women still consider the role of motherhood as one of their most important roles in life and whether to stay at home and care for their children or pursue their career possesses a great challenge for most. In addition, a lot of women still struggle with having their own identity outside family life in ways that are different than men. In recent times, there have been a number of movies that have addressed these issues of the past, present and future which has contributed to a better understanding and more respect for women. In 2003, director Mike Newell made his contribution and brought “Mona Lisa Smile” to the theatres. This is a movie that eloquently sheds light on the struggle of women in the 50s in a way that even the most modern of women today can still relate to. The opening of the movie sets the tone for the story as Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst) begins telling the tale of a determined new art history teacher, Miss Katherine Ann Watson (Julia Roberts) who studied at UCLA and left Oakland State University after teaching for one year to pursue the job of her dreams at the prestigious Wellesley College, an all-women’s private and highly conservative college in Massachusetts. We are introduced to Katherine’s character as a woman who “made up in brains
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