A significant issue discussed in the novel The Kitchen God’s Wife is the violence and mistreatment towards women by men. Winnie experiences cruelty and abuse, but doesn’t deserve the ill- treatment she received. She is given this type of treatment by men because she is a woman of the twentieth century. This is seen through the treatment she receives from her father, Jiang Sao-yan, and her husband, Wen Fu.
In the novel, Winnie’s father sends her off to live with his brother and wives because he could not bear to reminded of Winne’s mother. At a young age, Winnie became a heartbroken child who lost her mother, thus to get through this tragic event, what she needed the utmost was her father. However, Jiang Sao-yan neglected her and shunned Winnie from his life. It appears that Winnie’s father didn’t love Winnie, and viewed his wife’s death as an opportunity to get rid of her, like she was a toy he didn’t find amusing anymore. …show more content…
She is a naïve girl, thus she doesn’t even realize Wen Fu’s abuse towards her. Winnie says, “And then he became tender again, wiping my eyes and saying how much he cared for me, rubbing my back and my neck,”(Tan, 120) after Wen Fu rapes her. Later on, Winnie is pregnant and when Wen Fu makes another condescending request, she sees his evilness, and for the first time she denies him because she knows it could harm her unborn child. However, Wen Fu does not comprehend the reason for her refusal, hence he rapes Winnie. This scene proves Winnie’s genuine character because she places another life before her own. It’s also because she’s a woman that she is viewed as powerless in the eyes of a man.
In conclusion, Winnie is shown to be a kind-hearted and naïve human being, but through no fault of her own she becomes a constant victim of violence and abuse because she is a woman. This is seen through how her father and husband
In the novel, Winnie’s father sends her off to live with his brother and wives because he could not bear to reminded of Winne’s mother. At a young age, Winnie became a heartbroken child who lost her mother, thus to get through this tragic event, what she needed the utmost was her father. However, Jiang Sao-yan neglected her and shunned Winnie from his life. It appears that Winnie’s father didn’t love Winnie, and viewed his wife’s death as an opportunity to get rid of her, like she was a toy he didn’t find amusing anymore. …show more content…
She is a naïve girl, thus she doesn’t even realize Wen Fu’s abuse towards her. Winnie says, “And then he became tender again, wiping my eyes and saying how much he cared for me, rubbing my back and my neck,”(Tan, 120) after Wen Fu rapes her. Later on, Winnie is pregnant and when Wen Fu makes another condescending request, she sees his evilness, and for the first time she denies him because she knows it could harm her unborn child. However, Wen Fu does not comprehend the reason for her refusal, hence he rapes Winnie. This scene proves Winnie’s genuine character because she places another life before her own. It’s also because she’s a woman that she is viewed as powerless in the eyes of a man.
In conclusion, Winnie is shown to be a kind-hearted and naïve human being, but through no fault of her own she becomes a constant victim of violence and abuse because she is a woman. This is seen through how her father and husband