The Traditional v. The New

Maxine Hong Kingston’s novel The Woman Warrior follows the stories of five Chinese women in a variety of situations. One of the five woman is a mythical Chinese swordswoman, Fa Mu Lan. Some of the women are simple Chinese-American immigrants struggling to get by. However, all have heroic traits highlighted by Kingston to celebrate the power of woman. But what struck me when reading the novel was which kind of heroism Kingston places more importance on: not the traditional heroism, but an unlikely heroism. Kingston shows that upholding traditional Chinese values is just as heroic as leading an army into battle.

Kingston demonstrates the importance of this unlikely heroism in the first chapter of the book, “No Name Woman.” Why would a forgotten suicide be a hero? I wondered why Kingston would place her back to back with Fa Mu Lan, the famous woman warrior. I realized that all five of these women were warriors. In the case of the No Name Woman, the subject fought the battle of herself versus traditional values. She had betrayed her family by becoming pregnant from a man different than her husband. In the end, she chose to finally uphold her traditions and keep her family unit stable by killing herself. To protect the dignity of her newborn child, she takes it with her down the well. “A child with no descent line would not soften her life but only trail after her, ghostless, begging her to give it purpose” (15).

The biggest conflict in the book seems to be Americanization versus the traditional Chinese traditions. Kingston’s mother and aunt represent the traditional Chinese. They do not understand Kingston’s wish for education, the way she dresses, etc. These women, coming from a collective society, see the family and the group as the most important unit in life. Kingston, on the other hand, shows the dominant influence of individualism in American culture. The importance America places on individual opportunity has caused Kingston to abandon many aspects of her Chinese heritage. She becomes embarrassed of many mannerisms and behaviors of her Aunt, an FOB (fresh off the boat). In the end, Kingston must leave her mother’s bustling home. Her mother labels Kingston as a ghost, a Ho Chi Kuei. But as bad as her departure seemed, Kingston acknowledges the importance of her act. She says, “I had to leave home in order to see the world logically, logic the new way of seeing” (204). Unlike some of her family, Kingston realizes that traditional Chinese traditions will not survive in America. In fact, many of their traditions hinder Chinese immigrants seeking to fit into their new homeland. The stories of the five woman in The Woman Warrior all depict the struggle between the old and the new. All five fight for one side or the other. And while Kingston is one of the biggest advocates for changing and fitting in, she admires upholding the traditional. She puts her mother and Fa Mu Lin in the same heroic light. It just seems that Kingston realizes her position, and makes the best decision for her, rather than anyone else. But that’s the essence of this conflict to begin with.