Kingston’s presentation of the relationship between gender Essay Example

heritage, she defines her individuality by scrutinizing these stories. In the initial line of The Woman Warrior, the narrator's mother, Brave Orchid, celebrates significant moments through her "talk stories." For instance, when Kingston reaches menstruation age, Brave Orchid shares the cautionary tale of her Chinese aunt, warning her that "what happened to her could happen to you" (13).

The 'No Name' aunt, a married woman, was ostracised and driven to suicide after becoming pregnant while her husband was away. Brave orchid shares this story as evidence that promiscuity is severely punished, possibly as a warning to modern western readers. The horrific fate of the aunt is emphasized to teach the narrator that women who are perceived as 'promiscuous' will face consequences. The narrator's mother emphasizes the harsh lesson, stating, 'you wouldn't want to be forgotten as if you had never been born,' highlighting the unfortunate reality experienced by the aunt.

Kingston's father disowns her aunt. According to the narrator, this talk-story led her to believe that sex was too taboo and harmful for fathers to handle, so the term "aunt" was used instead (22). Kingston suggests that these patterns of thinking become ingrained in individuals, as she sees the impact of this belief on her own behaviors. Ultimately, she learns the influence of words and becomes a writer. However, her mother's warning about sex causes her to imagine her aunt as sexually liberated, which contradicts societal norms.

The narrator acknowledges that they are not acquainted with any individuals, both women and men, who possess the traits mentioned in quote 16. The secrecy surrounding this knowledge has had an impact on the narrator as they confess to participating in

punishing someone. However, they never pursued further information about this individual (likely their aunt) and never brought it up again. This suggests that if the narrator were to face a similar fate as their aunt, they would also be compelled to end their own life. Nonetheless, contemporary American society offers alternative options which grant the narrator opportunities that were denied to their aunt.

The narrator has assimilated this story into her cultural identity, constructing her own individuality by retelling her rendition of the story concerning her aunt. This contradicts her mother's desire to keep it concealed. The narrator intentionally presents various possibilities of what might have occurred to her aunt, depicting her as a fervent and autonomous woman who empowers and emancipates herself, thereby attaining a form of everlasting existence. Through the character of the "No Name" aunt, the text delves into the ways in which gender, communal narratives, and identity can be negotiated.

Kingston depicts the relationship as involving choice, which can be both influential and rejected. By infusing her beliefs about women into the narrative of Fa Mulan, Kingston constructs a dual-cultural identity that embraces both America and China. Kingston reflects on her own upbringing, remembering how she learned about the story of Fa Mulan, the girl who took her father's place in battle (25). Brave Orchid shares stories with her daughter that can empower and are necessary. The paradox of Fa Mulan lies in her disguise as a male warrior during battle, which highlights the potential power that Chinese women possess.

The narrator discovered that failure awaited those who grew up to become wives or slaves (25). However, merely displaying warrior prowess was not sufficient.

Fa Mulan's greatest duty lied with her family, as the villagers would create a legend about her exceptional filial piety (47). This concept stems from traditional Chinese Confucianism, which justifies the subordinate status of Chinese women in society through sacrifice. Kingston urges readers to recognize how this legend has greatly influenced her understanding of gender in society.

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In this gender-oriented retelling of the myth, our attention is focused on the sacrifice and responsibility that females endure. Despite achieving success in school, the narrator realizes that women who disguised themselves as soldiers or students were executed in Chinese culture, regardless of their bravery or academic achievements (42). The narrator is unable to fight to avenge her village, and her educational accomplishments are not acknowledged. Consequently, the narrator feels helpless and inadequate, as expressed in her statement, "I might as well have said, 'I'm not a girl'" (48).

Similarly, the narrator justifies her existence by "wrapping my American successes around me... I am worthy of eating the food" (53). She rejects her female identity and all the expectations and implications that it carries, including avenging villages and achieving perfect filiality. However, despite this story continuing to lead her in search of the bird that brought Fa Mulan glory, the narrator refuses to continue navigating through China Town with hesitation, as it demands she conform to old sayings and stories (53). The relationship between this story and her identity is evident in how it shapes her perspective on gender and subsequently influences her actions.

The narrator, in her American context, comes to the realization that as a woman, she

holds equal value. This newfound understanding motivates her to "march to save the world" (49). Moreover, being in America enables her to exhibit her writing skills and accomplishments, something unattainable in ancient China. This encounter has heightened her awareness of the contradictions associated with female empowerment and the necessity to demonstrate her worth. Nevertheless, she has adopted these insights on how women interact with men within a society influenced by gender norms and implemented them into her own life.

The text discusses how Kingston's perspective allows her to analyze the sacrifice made by Fa Mulan, who becomes a warrior and then takes on the responsibilities of being a mother and serving her family. This story is purposely shared as a template for storytellers to shape their own identities by reimagining and changing it. Kingston, known for creating complex narratives, combines elements from her childhood, imagination, family, village, movies, and everyday life to weave together the past and present in her storytelling.

In the novel 'Shaman', the narrator explores the paradox of her mother's achievements, which leads to a depiction of how community stories and cultural identity become internalized behavioral patterns. Despite acknowledging that females are often perceived as inherently "bad I guess. You know how girls are," (48), Brave Orchid defies expectations by becoming a highly skilled doctor who can cure extraordinary diseases (78). Kingston continues her mother's narrative about Ts'ai Yens', a poet-warrior, and acknowledges that while her mother started telling the story, she will be the one to conclude it (184).

Her retelling of the story focuses on Ts'ai Yen's acknowledgement of the importance of barbarian culture as a counterbalance to traditional Chinese patrialineage. Rather than

dwelling on the poetess' sorrow for being separated from her homeland, the narrative emphasizes reconciliation and recognition of the nomads, suggesting that it is possible to live harmoniously in two cultures. As a result, the narrator has discovered her own voice and the power of words and song.

She realizes that her previous perception of Chinese sight was not authentic, but rather a childish way of seeing that would have naturally faded away without a struggle. Through rewriting her story, she now understands that myths played a crucial role in her childhood development by providing a stable base for her growth. However, she had to learn to interpret these myths independently in order to establish her own personal identity. The initial separation from her family, which she endured to gain this understanding, led to a rejection of her own vibrant culture. "I had to leave home to see the world logically...

The point of view in The Woman Warrior is that mysteries are meant to be understood, and I appreciate the simplicity of this perspective. The book explores the connection between gender, community stories, and identity as being separate entities that are not reliant on one another. The narrator forms her sense of self based on her surroundings, the time period she lives in, and her heritage. She demonstrates her independence by incorporating herself into the stories she grew up with, essentially bringing herself into existence within those tales. Her interpretation of these familiar stories can be characterized as being influenced by gender, as it is evident in her own attitudes.

In essence, Kingston regards her cultural identity as a Chinese American as deeply shaped by the talk

stories she was exposed to during her upbringing. Instead of retrospectively analyzing these tales and determining how they fit into her own life, Kingston takes a different approach. She breathes her own values into a story, thereby creating her existence through literature. By highlighting the significance of these stories in constructing her memoirs, Kingston emphasizes that they do not solely define her identity. Rather, her American background enables her to critically examine them, ultimately transforming them into something novel.