Follow your heart, or do your duty?
Apr. 24th, 2004 12:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
agilebritSo, it was chick flick night at the drive-in last night. We went and saw "13 Going on 30" and "The Prince and Me." And they were both, surprisingly, pretty good. However, "The Prince and Me" was more interesting, from my viewpoint.
It's the story of a young lady in college who is very focused on her goal of becoming a doctor and going to work for Doctors Without Borders. And there's a ne'er-do-well Prince (of Denmark) who decides to come to the States and enroll in college because of an ad he sees for a "Girls Gone Wild"-type video. Predictably, in a movie like this, they meet, and clash--and fall in love.
The twist is, he hasn't told her he's a Prince. And of course, when he does, she's mad because he lied to her. He goes back to Denmark after finals without saying goodbye, and she reconsiders her anger, because, well, she loves him. So she flies out to Denmark...and he proposes (after they've known each other for a whole semester. Which is a topic I won't go into here).
And this is where, to me, it gets interesting. Because he's going to be the King some day (soon, because his father is ill), our Prince has all sorts of obligations. And so will his wife. That goal of being a doctor? She won't have time for that when she's Queen. Every single moment of her day will be scheduled from sunup to far past sundown. And she slowly begins to realize this.
So, what does she do? Give up the career she's dreamed of ever since she can remember? Or give up the man of her dreams? Therein lies the crux of her problem, and the most interesting conflict in the movie. Does she follow her heart, which lies with the Prince; or will she do her duty, which tells her to continue her education and ultimately become a doctor in some of the most desperately poor places in the world?
And, frankly, I'm not sure whether to be surprised at her choice or not. In this era of self-sufficient women who follow a career path without ever being challenged on it, the fact that she chose her career over him probably shouldn't shock me. But, you know, it was a chick flick, and he was a handsome Prince....so it did, a little. And perhaps it also surprised me because she was challenged, and she still chose the career--because it was the Right Thing To Do.
And now, a Bible quote: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?" -- Jeremiah 17:9. And I think that following our hearts can lead to trouble, whereas doing our duty, while it can be heartbreaking in the short run, is ultimately rewarding in the long run.
It's the story of a young lady in college who is very focused on her goal of becoming a doctor and going to work for Doctors Without Borders. And there's a ne'er-do-well Prince (of Denmark) who decides to come to the States and enroll in college because of an ad he sees for a "Girls Gone Wild"-type video. Predictably, in a movie like this, they meet, and clash--and fall in love.
The twist is, he hasn't told her he's a Prince. And of course, when he does, she's mad because he lied to her. He goes back to Denmark after finals without saying goodbye, and she reconsiders her anger, because, well, she loves him. So she flies out to Denmark...and he proposes (after they've known each other for a whole semester. Which is a topic I won't go into here).
And this is where, to me, it gets interesting. Because he's going to be the King some day (soon, because his father is ill), our Prince has all sorts of obligations. And so will his wife. That goal of being a doctor? She won't have time for that when she's Queen. Every single moment of her day will be scheduled from sunup to far past sundown. And she slowly begins to realize this.
So, what does she do? Give up the career she's dreamed of ever since she can remember? Or give up the man of her dreams? Therein lies the crux of her problem, and the most interesting conflict in the movie. Does she follow her heart, which lies with the Prince; or will she do her duty, which tells her to continue her education and ultimately become a doctor in some of the most desperately poor places in the world?
And, frankly, I'm not sure whether to be surprised at her choice or not. In this era of self-sufficient women who follow a career path without ever being challenged on it, the fact that she chose her career over him probably shouldn't shock me. But, you know, it was a chick flick, and he was a handsome Prince....so it did, a little. And perhaps it also surprised me because she was challenged, and she still chose the career--because it was the Right Thing To Do.
And now, a Bible quote: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?" -- Jeremiah 17:9. And I think that following our hearts can lead to trouble, whereas doing our duty, while it can be heartbreaking in the short run, is ultimately rewarding in the long run.
