The Woman Warrior was a very eye opening book. I think I am permanently scarred from it. A little part of me wishes I had not read it because of the treatment of women in China at that time hurts my feelings so much. Ignorance is bliss. I liked the part where the author told the story of Mulan the woman warrior. The story was very similar to anime I've seen today.
The no name aunt story is so sad and confusing for a young girl. No wonder Maxine Hong Kingston had issues with her mother when she told her stories like this one. Kingston grew up in America with traditions that are completely different from her mother's. She was having an identity crisis very similar to that of John Smith in Indian killer.
Her mother's life story was tragic to me also. When she talked of eating monkey's brains while the monkeys were still alive, I was devastated. When she told the story of her going to college I thought that was pretty cool. Then she went on to talk about the sitting ghost which was creepy as all get out. I don't know where she was going with that. I guess to show just how outlandish her mothers story's would get. When I learned that her husband left her to work in America I felt so bad for her being left behind. She lived with her husband's family like a servant to a mother who did not love her. I guess that's why she seems crazy from an American's perspective.
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ReplyDeletethe book didnt disturb me as much as it did you. however, the part where we found out brave orchid had cut her sons tongue while he was a baby appauled me. i couldnt imagine that. and he obviously had speech problems due to it. i dont understand how his mother thought it could help, and if she did i asked like he did, why she didnt do it to all of her children. i did feel bad for moon orchid when we found out her husband left her for an american lifestyle, but this was also my favorite part of the book. maybe because im a single mom and it was very similar to events in my life. my daughters father left us so that he could have a life of party. even when he was around he would only watch her for an hour or so because he had "plans". he sent money and gifts as if that made him some sort of good father in his mind. so that situation hit home and was the most significant for me.
ReplyDeleteDarci, I'm completely with ya on these points. I too saw the connection between the identity crisis within Indian Killer and Woman Warrior. It does pain me to read about the situations that Chinese girls are faced with. I cannot imagine living a life like Kingston in which I could not relate to my mother whatsoever due to being raised in 2 completely different cultures. I also found myself questioning the truth of all her mother's talk-stories and thought that perhaps many of them were to scare or caution her.
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