An Analytical Analysis Of Kingston's No Name Woman

Kingston launches her memoir negotiating the story of her unnamed aunt, a woman dishonored and intentionally forgotten by her family after an illegitimate pregnancy. Kingston does not merely take the story at face value with the burden of shame accompanying her aunt’s memory, rather she retells it, exploring her aunt’s perspective. Kingston entertains the concept that her aunt, “looked at a man because she liked the way the hair was tucked behind the ears” (Kingston 8). This romanticized version of her aunt’s life remains enticing, relatable, and perhaps even probable had it occurred in the United States. If this scene was set in America, the anger of the family following the actions of an errant daughter would seem justified. However, Kingston brings her audience back to reality, reminding them this scene is set in her family’s homeland and tragically stating, “[w]omen in the old China did not choose” (Kingston 6). Kingston brings her audience with her through her considerations, …show more content…
In the second section of Kingston’s account, White Tiger, the author controversially develops her own retelling of this famous myth with herself as the legendary Chinese figure. Writer Silvia Schultermandl mentions, “the mythological figure of Fa Mu Lan also provides Maxine with a model of female activism and agency” (Schultermandl 37). Certainly, Kingston utilizes the devices of compelling and prominent female myths to commentate on her own life and further, the lives of ethnic women throughout society. Later, Kingston states, “[w]hat we have in common are the words on our backs,” (Kingston 53). Words hold the unique position of uniting or dividing communities and through Woman Warrior, Kingston invites readers to see her perspective, to allow her words to create a collective