Paternalism exists throughout the history, and a father is always in charge of the family. A father is powerful in making decisions and managing the affairs. However, the father’s love is expressed in a rigid, implicit and harsh way. With thoughts liberation, the idea that people are born with equality is well recognized. The special power of paternalism is facing with disorganizing. The father has to adapt to the new society and environment. During the period, the new image of father is formed as the experiences and the main society change (Su Haixia, 2011:21). Meanwhile, the inpidualism is derived from the reasonable principle of Puritanism. With the development of American independence, westward movement, and transcendentalist thoughts, inpidualism gradually develops fully and turns into the cultural spirit of a nation.
In the Croods, as Eep has innate inpidual awareness, she is eager to do what she likes, to follow what she truly wants. Those obviously go against the cave rules and cave living style. And she insists on following the sun and riding the sun to tomorrow. As a result, the cave living style and rules are broken by Eep’s curious behavior.源/自:751:;论-文'网www.751com.cn
This paper aims at analyzing the affections and conflicts of Grug and Eep in The Croods, from the perspective of family values, especially from the perspective of paternalism and inpidualism. Firstly, there is a simple analysis of the affections and conflicts between Grug and Eep. Secondly, Grug and Eep are briefly introduced from the aspect of different family values. Thirdly, the reasons for how the conflicts alleviated are found. From this paper, we will know that the different values and living standard can make great influence on daily life. The findings of those causes would give us a warning in future life and help to solve the similar problems as a reference.
2. Literature Review
The family values are various from each other due to many reasons. Some scholars have made studies on it. Li Yuyan finds that among the family members, the different religious beliefs, personal habits, and inpidual values will lead to different values; for different families, the difference in social status, social cultural and its environment will also have effect on the formation of family values (Li Yuyan & Li Jing, 2007:175). What’s more, Shen Cuiting thinks that the different core values contribute a lot to the different values. In China, “harmony” is the core advocation, and the members are required to cover their genuine feelings and behave in a gentle and elegant way whenever it happens and whatever happens. However, the Americans have belief in freedom and equality. They are encouraged to be inpidual and independent (Shen Cuiting, 2010: 39). StephanB. Poulter, in his book The Father Factor: How Your Father’s Legacy Impacts Your Carrer, expressed his idea that father always has great influence on children’s growing. Father plays an important role in the formation of child’s personality and character, and will affect one’s physical and mental healthy development. It even has far-reaching influence in children’s future behavior and career choosing (Poulter, 2005: 3).
Inpidualism is derived from French thoughts in the 19th century. Originally, it refers to selfishness and dangerous activities. Degler finds that it is the process of its Americanization that enriched its connotation. The inpidualism has experienced four main stages. As the saying goes “if the Americans is the rate, the Puritanism were a major source of inpidualism” (Degler, 1984:17). And in the 19th 40s, Emerson, the representative of the transcendentalism, first refined the inpidualism into the national cultural spirit (Qian Mansu, 1996:208). From then on, inpidualism becomes one of American spirits. The special status of it was just as Green said, “when I say love the United States, it means I love its liberal democracy” (Green, 1983:277). Through the Revolution, the liberalism spirits was comprehensively spread. During the western sports, people develop the character of independence, equality and freedom. Thoreau spares no efforts in questing for the personal spiritual world, to find out the inner world’s liberation and live in simple way, instead of rounded by the luxurious material world, beautiful clothes, tasty wine and delicious food (Throeau, 1997: 85).