Toula Portakolis: The Decline Of Greek Culture

Toula Portakolis is the lead character, a Greek first generation, 30 year old single woman still living at home. Her parents and extended family still firmly hold on to the Greek culture in their lives, however, not Toula she has become acculturated adopting many American attitudes. Toula is more conservative in her planning for her and Ian’s wedding from bridesmaid dresses, makeup, and earrings. However, she gives in a great deal in order to keep her parents and family happy. Regardless of her tolerance of Greek culture she still desires to distance herself through furthering her education and wanting to leave the family business. Yet the distance she goes isn’t that far away since her desire is to work at her Aunt’s travel agency.
Ian Miller acculturates willingly into the Greek culture because of his love for Toula. He accepts the Greek Orthodox Church as his
She defined to Ian that Greeks had three goals to marry Greeks, make more Greeks and to feed Greeks. When Toula is sitting between her parents watching TV it is priceless, there are the parents protecting their baby girl. The furniture covered in plastic is symbolic not of just Greeks, but of recent immigrants and people of certain ages. When Costa blames Toula’s education as her downfall of loving a non-Greek is a stereotype. Another priceless stereotype is the cultural differences between the Millers and the Portackolis’.
Racism was portrayed when Toula was young and her non-Greek classmates made fun her lunch, moussaka. In part I would like to define some of the Miller’s attitude as racist, but I think it was not racism as much as they were just overwhelmed when meeting Toula’s family.
The stereotypes served to illustrate to movie viewers the Greek culture and to create comedy. There is often comedy between to varying perspectives, and the stereotypes lighten the mood when viewing the differences.