There are several themes that are prevalent in the film. However, the main theme revolves around the struggle that is present between the Western and Eastern traditions. It is more of conflict between the old traditions versus the new ones.

The film revolves around the traditional arranged marriages. Sammy Fong’s family has ordered a “picture-bride” for him from their home country. Sammy’s parents hope that their son will accept the bride that they have chosen for him in order to ensure that he desists from the pursuing Linda; who was an enticing dancer, something that Sammy’s parents did not like. Mei Li is the picture bride the family wants Sammy to marry. When she first arrives in San Francisco, it is apparent that she is quite shy and fails to understand the world that she has now been subjected to. Given this prospects, it is clear that she is the wrong girl for Sammy who has been completely westernized and Americanized. Sammy tries to eradicate Mie Li from his life by passing her over to his friend Wang Ta. Wang’s family gets to like Mie Ta and is convinced that she is the right girl for their son. Wang Ta’s father had been fighting a losing battle in trying to convince his son to allow them to search a wife for him. Actually, Sammy is eager to ensure that Mei Li ends up with Wang Ta by drafting a marriage contract that would help to consummate the marriage quickly. However, this aspect is objected by Mei’s father since the original contract was based on Mei marrying Sammy. This was just an indication of how Sammy was against this concept of arranged marriages that his family was proposing. He was determined to go against the Eastern tradition that his family believed in, in favor of the Western traditions that would see him fall in love with the girl of his choice and later marry her. Things get complicated for Sammy as he finds out that Wang Ta is in love with Linda; the same girl that she is has an eye for. However, Sammy tries to show Wang Ta and his family who Linda really is to ensure that Wang Ta denounces any interest that he initially had. This works quite well as Wang Ta ends up agreeing with his family that Mei Li was the right girl for her.

In my personal experience, this form of conflict is something that is quite prevalent. I am from China, and my being here in the United Sates has helped me witness the differences in culture. There are things that I could not have indulged in while in my home country, but the moment I came here some of them changed. Initially, I used to conflict with my parents on some issues like having a boyfriend, but with time this has changed as they now came to understand of the changes in concepts and culture altogether.

There are various quotations from the film that show the struggle between the Western and Eastern traditions. “Father, they don’t do things like that over here, here a man picks his own wife”. This was the response that Wang Ta gave his father when he informed that he was going to pick him a wife. “This is not China, this is a different world, and here a man has a right to choose his own wife”. This is how Wang Ta responded to his father when he was insisting that he should marry Mei Li instead of Linda. “Don’t Marry Me”. This is what Sammy was telling Mie Li in order to discourage her from getting the interest of marrying him as his mother wanted.

In conclusion, the film revolves around the theme of struggle that is present between the Western and Eastern traditions. Sammy and Wang Ta believe that they are being subjected to a tradition that they are not part of since they have now been westernized and are at liberty to choose their own brides. This is something that is likely to occur when people move from culture to another; there is usually a conflict between what the parents think is right and what the children believe in based on the current environment.

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