How does a bicultural upbringing affect one’s understanding of individuality and community? 

Reviews

By Marouso Pappas | Edited by Paula Fernandez

I am a proud possessor of a bicultural identity. Specifically of Greek and American origin. This fact has enabled me to view the world from two very different cultural perspectives. However, I often struggle with the internal clash caused by incongruent values embedded into my identity. This made me wonder, to what extent does my bicultural upbringing affect my understanding of individuality and the expression of it? In an attempt to answer my question, I turned to what I consider the most holistic form of expression: film.  

The first is Zorba the Greek, a film adaptation of the novel The Life and Politics of Alexis Zorbas by author Nikos Kazantzakis, directed by Michalis Kakoyiannis and released in 1964. The second is Into the Wild, a biographical film based on the book Journey Into the Wild by John Krakauer, directed by Sean Penn and released in 2007. Although fundamentally different, both films explore how the main characters attempt to free themselves from the moral boundaries imposed by society. How they go about it and how they are characterized by their community, the film itself and the audience differ greatly because of distinct cultural differences.  

Many parallels can be drawn between these two unassumingly similar films when it comes to plot. Into the Wild follows the main character, Christopher McCandless, as he embarks on a spiritual journey across North America into the Alaskan wilderness. The goal of his voyage is to find true happiness through solitude, outside the “shackles” of modern society.  His resentment for it stems from the distrust and disappointment he feels for his family. His pursual of meaning outside the realms in which he believes his parents “failed,” can be considered a result of the American nuclear family. Described as an avid reader, his inspiration for looking specifically to nature for answers originated from the transcendentalist movement and writers like Henry Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. By tracing the primal origins of the human species, they theorize we can deconstruct society and rebuild it with a more genuine value system in mind.  

Antithetically, while McCandless is attempting to isolate himself to find meaning in life, Zorba searches for a sense of community to give him purpose. His journey begins when he meets a British writer setting off to Crete to rebuild his family home in hopes of finding inspiration. Zorba sees this as an opportunity to escape his distressing reality, which involves the death of his 3-year-old son and the guilt of war that plagues him, by volunteering to help a stranger as a distraction. They form a genuine relationship of support regardless of the disagreements they often face. Characteristic of the time period and the more traditional nature of Greek society, this approach can be considered a product of the corporate family structure which values the sustenance of a mutual support network in residential areas.  

Zorba at times conforms to these traditional values, but mostly remains outside this cultural stereotype. Although present in community life, he isolates himself emotionally. The only indication we have that he is dealing with grief is through his expressive “dance of life,” otherwise he is portrayed as the masculine stereotype who serves others like Basil and Madame Hortens. At first viewing this film does not seem to be about him at all, yet when considering the highly symbolic nature of Greek culture we come to realize that the film truly is about his inner journey, which we can only sense through implication.  

Community orientation, or lack thereof, is a large theme in both the films. Although Zorba is described as an “untameable, wild man,” there is no relationship in the film however temporary that he does not invest in. His biggest gesture of kindness comes at the end of the movie where he agrees to marry Madame Hortens to give her happiness in the final days of her life. In a small Cretan village, low relationship mobility requires one to contribute to their community and try to be understanding of everyone for serene coexistence. On the other hand, although we meet many characters along McCandless’s journey, they are all fleeting interactions through his own choice. Whether it be the hippy couple or the old man who requests to adopt him, he is determined to not let any relationship distract him from his goal to reach Alaska.  

We can consider his experience as a visualization of high relationship mobility which emphasizes on the voluntary nature of relationships. He believes that others restrict him from reaching his full potential, while Zorba believes that others will inspire him to be the best version of himself.  

This also brings in to question how these two cultures view masculinity, which is often closely tied with “primitive” escapism. The few brief moments we have minimal access into Zorba’s inner world is when he expresses to Basil that he feels he is going mad. He condemns himself for his shameful acts during the war and his inability to save his son, but as a result he claims he views the world more plainly. 

 “Good or bad; what is the difference? They all end up food for worms” is Zorba’s response to Basil’s inquiry into his feelings about Turks. Similarly, a consistent disagreement he has with the Englishman is that he believes you cannot give logic to emotion. Often, he expresses that experience is much more valuable than books. After the murder of “the widow,” for instance, he asks Basil “why does anybody die… what’s the use of all your damn books if they can’t answer that?” This serves to show that in an irrational world we cannot rely on logic to find meaning, rather “we must dance to numb the pain.” McCandless on the other hand falls under a different kind of stereotype, that of the troubled intellectual.  

His attempt to conform to social expectation is evident from his pursual of a college education, but after discovering that he is contributing to a “failed” system, he decides to follow the steps of many academics before him and seek the “ultimate truth” outside the constraints of society. He applies reason to the natural world by attempting to tame it. Through survival he practices restraint which is often connected to masculinity in American culture and tries to define human purpose. But his research is inconclusive.  

At the end of the films, it is revealed that both approaches are flawed in different ways. 

McCandless dying alone from poisoning due to his stubbornness, can be read as “autonomy is important but as social creatures we need others to survive.” While in Zorba’s case, his project of building the lumber transporter epically backfiring proves that before attempting to help others he must stop running away from his pain and deal with his own problems. That is why no singular cultural value or stereotype can be considered the ideal approach. McCandless would have benefited from the community-oriented values of Greek culture, and Zorba would have benefited from the individualistic American approach of processing emotion.  

Thus, the conclusion to my exploration is that my bicultural upbringing simply provides me with a richer set of tools for defining my own individuality and larger understanding of choice in how I express it.