The Two Fridass
Aashrith Raj Tatipamula ENG2D Ms. Ngo April 27, 2024. Analysis Between The Two Fridas and Walking in Two Worlds The Two Fridas, a painting by Frida Kahlo, and Walking in Two Worlds by Wab Kinew both dive into the complexities of identity and cultural heritage. In Kahlo’s painting, the two versions of herself represent her identity: one rooted in her Mexican heritage, symbolized by the Tehuana dress, and the other by her European ancestry, represented by the Victorian-style dress. These two parts of Kahlo reflect Feng's experience, as he is stuck in multiple cultural worlds. We can see this on page 150, when Frank says, “Put one foot in your culture, one foot in the mainstream [...] Be like the pipe. Take the modern world and put it together
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Additionally, "taking the modern world and putting it together with the traditional world" emphasizes the unity of different identities in Feng. The audience can see this as Feng tries to fit in with the new indigenous culture, as he always had done, whether it was with his supposed origin as a Ughur, a turned Chinese citizen, or with the dominant western culture in the Floraverse. He navigates between these worlds in hope of seeking a sense of belonging; this is just like the indecisiveness we can see in Frida as she drew two parts of herself in order to show her being integrated into two different worlds. Kahlo’s painting shows pain by using blood on the dresses of the two Fridas, which represents the struggles the painter Frida faced, like her injury caused by a terrible accident in her teenage years. The use of blood is also different in both Fridas, reflecting how her different cultures were viewed, causing her identity pain. This is similar to Feng because, on Page 150, the narrator explains, "Feng paused long enough to see a torrent of images roar by his mind's eye: Xinjiang, his parents, his childhood mosque, the boarding school, young Liumei's tears, Bugz, Mishi-pizhiw, a thunderbird's nest, the ceremony he was part of now"
Additionally, "taking the modern world and putting it together with the traditional world" emphasizes the unity of different identities in Feng. The audience can see this as Feng tries to fit in with the new indigenous culture, as he always had done, whether it was with his supposed origin as a Ughur, a turned Chinese citizen, or with the dominant western culture in the Floraverse. He navigates between these worlds in hope of seeking a sense of belonging; this is just like the indecisiveness we can see in Frida as she drew two parts of herself in order to show her being integrated into two different worlds. Kahlo’s painting shows pain by using blood on the dresses of the two Fridas, which represents the struggles the painter Frida faced, like her injury caused by a terrible accident in her teenage years. The use of blood is also different in both Fridas, reflecting how her different cultures were viewed, causing her identity pain. This is similar to Feng because, on Page 150, the narrator explains, "Feng paused long enough to see a torrent of images roar by his mind's eye: Xinjiang, his parents, his childhood mosque, the boarding school, young Liumei's tears, Bugz, Mishi-pizhiw, a thunderbird's nest, the ceremony he was part of now"