Author: Chloe Delvecchio

Chloe Fiore Del Vecchio

“The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston revolves around this internal conflict, this push and pull between American culture and Chinese culture. She uses this chapter to elaborate more on the challenges she faced living in a Chinese household in America. Her parents are Chinese, speak Chinese, and follow Chinese traditions while on the other hand Kingston is trying to assimilate into American culture as well. She tries to make herself seem “American feminine”. Kingston feels as if she is being torn between both worlds without really being a part of either, like most other first-generation Chinese Americans. She experiences her Chinese culture secondhand through talk-story, she has no first-hand experiences of her culture. While being first generation Chinese American, she is not yet fully immersed in the American culture. She still learning American cultures while trying to assimilate into this new country. Due to this talk -story Kingston finds herself trying to differentiate between what is Chinese, what is real, and what is just made up.

One of the major difficulties that Kingston faces in her growing up being Chinese American is learning to speak English to non-Chinese people. This challenge first appears when she is required to speak English in kindergarten and is still an ongoing issue going into adulthood. For a while her resolution was to stay silent until she realizes she is required to speak, Kingston states “At first it did not occur to me I was supposed to talk or to pass kindergarten” (Kingston 166). Whether Kingston was at Chinese school or American school she still found it incredibly difficult to speak, Kingston explains “Not all the children who were silent at American school found voice a Chinese school” (Kingston 168). This wasn’t a problem she shared alone, she speaks of her sister and other Chinese Americans all sharing the same roadblock. She speaks of this one silent girl in particular and criticizes her. She even corners the girl hurting her by pulling her hair until she speaks, which she never did. Kingston starts yelling at the girl telling her how horrible her life would be if she never speaks, it can be inferred that Kingston is projecting her own worries about herself onto this silent girl. You can tell how ashamed Kingston is about this interaction, she believes her karma for this is why that she was in the bed for the next 18 months due to a mysterious illness. Kingston infers this by stating “The world is sometimes just, and I spent the next 18 months sick in bed with a mysterious illness” (Kingston 183). This scene really shows and makes readers understand how speaking was a very serious challenge that these Chinese Americans were forced to endure

Towards the end of this chapter Kingston finally stands up to her mom. She goes on a tangent about how she refuses for her parents to just give her away to be married to a wealthy Chinese boy. She talks about how she is smart, independent, and going to make a life for herself. Kingston states “They say I could be a scientist or a mathematician if I want” (Kingston 201). Eventually her mother starts shouting “Ho Chi Kuei. Leave then” (Kingston 204). This can be translated two half ghosts; this expression implies the Chinese born immigrants resentment of the American born generation’s rejection of Chinese cultures. This fight with her mom allows her to discover her strong personal voice. She has now found her own identity apart from the talk story she has heard all of her life. She concludes this chapter and memoir by bringing up a female Chinese poet Ts’ai Yen. She was captured by a non-Chinese tribe and was forced to live amongst them for 12 years and never fully assimilated into their culture. Kingston explains “when she was 20 years old, she was captured by Chieftain during a raid by the southern Hsiung-hu (Kingston 207-208). Kingston relates because she also sees herself as a foreigner amongst Americans. Kingston is caught between her parents’ traditions and her new life in America.

Discussion Questions:

1.) Do you think Kingston was justified in being cruel to the silent Chinese girl, or was she trying to help her speak, Why do you think it is important that Kingston added this confrontation in her memoir?

2.) Do you think Brave Orchid was justified in the harsh things she said to Kingston, after Kingston’s outburst on page 202, what do you take away from this interaction?

Works Cited:

Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. Vintage International, 1976.

Hi, im Chloe. I am from Long Island, New York. I love traveling, watching netflix, and spending time with my friends. Right now i am not on campus im doing school from home. As of right now i am undecided but im thinking about majoring in Phys Ed and health.