In 1975, Maxine Hong Kingston wrote a book that blends a collection of memoirs, an autobiography and a Chinese folk tale. Throughout The Woman Warrior, Kingston reports a complex portrayal of the 20th century experiences of Chinese-Americans living in the U.S in the shadow of the Chinese Revolution. “ White Tigers”, the second chapter, has the feel of a warrior epic. It is drawn from a traditional Chinese myth about a woman who fights in place of her father. It is separated into two completely opposing sections. the first one being the telling of Fa Mu Lan’s heroic story, portraying a strong, independent woman of courage, and the other is the narrator’s description of her American life, a life that underestimates women and undermines their
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Kingston’s fantasy is a symbol of women’s want to change their roles in our modern day society. This text is great because not only Chinese women can relate to it, but all women from all around the world, who grew up in a society, led by unwanted and uncertified customs.
The story of Fa Mu Lan provides an alternative to the traditional Chinese beliefs about women in society. As the woman warrior, Kingston takes on a traditionally male role, wearing male armor and commanding men who fight under her. Note also how Kingston’s husband’s role is reversed in the chapter. In the fantasy, he leaves battle to return home and take care of their child. The significance of Kingston’s fantasy is not that it transcends time and space, but that it transcends the rigid customs and traditions with which she grew up. Customs where only men were allowed to be heroes, to go to battle, and women were only meant to be wives and …show more content…
A normal Arab woman’s life would consist of the following: When a daughter is born, she is considered as a disappointment to her father, for all he wants is a son, a man who can carry on the family name and business. The girl is therefor less loved in most cases by both parents, because the mother hates the fact that she could;t give a son to her husband. The husband might in some cases leave the wife and marry another in order to get a son. But the little girl still grows up in a hostile environment. She is taught from the moment she is born that she is to serve and never to be served. She is told that her beauty and her body belong to whomever she will marry. She is forced to be covered from head to toe from all men except her husband. She belongs to him and him only. She is taught as she grows up how to be the perfect housewife. And when she marries, she is to put her husband’s comfort first no matter what. Even if she’s miserable. When an Arab woman is divorced, she is a shame to society, she’s trash, no one wants to touch her anymore, left to be swept aside like she never existed. These things happen because Arab women are restricted and bound to rules, customs, and beliefs, just like Kingston, that create a certain image of her in society. An image that should never be changed. And when it is, she is to be counted as a disgrace to our society. Therefore most women don’t have the strength to
Kingston’s fantasy is a symbol of women’s want to change their roles in our modern day society. This text is great because not only Chinese women can relate to it, but all women from all around the world, who grew up in a society, led by unwanted and uncertified customs.
The story of Fa Mu Lan provides an alternative to the traditional Chinese beliefs about women in society. As the woman warrior, Kingston takes on a traditionally male role, wearing male armor and commanding men who fight under her. Note also how Kingston’s husband’s role is reversed in the chapter. In the fantasy, he leaves battle to return home and take care of their child. The significance of Kingston’s fantasy is not that it transcends time and space, but that it transcends the rigid customs and traditions with which she grew up. Customs where only men were allowed to be heroes, to go to battle, and women were only meant to be wives and …show more content…
A normal Arab woman’s life would consist of the following: When a daughter is born, she is considered as a disappointment to her father, for all he wants is a son, a man who can carry on the family name and business. The girl is therefor less loved in most cases by both parents, because the mother hates the fact that she could;t give a son to her husband. The husband might in some cases leave the wife and marry another in order to get a son. But the little girl still grows up in a hostile environment. She is taught from the moment she is born that she is to serve and never to be served. She is told that her beauty and her body belong to whomever she will marry. She is forced to be covered from head to toe from all men except her husband. She belongs to him and him only. She is taught as she grows up how to be the perfect housewife. And when she marries, she is to put her husband’s comfort first no matter what. Even if she’s miserable. When an Arab woman is divorced, she is a shame to society, she’s trash, no one wants to touch her anymore, left to be swept aside like she never existed. These things happen because Arab women are restricted and bound to rules, customs, and beliefs, just like Kingston, that create a certain image of her in society. An image that should never be changed. And when it is, she is to be counted as a disgrace to our society. Therefore most women don’t have the strength to