Plot Overview.docx

Plot Overview.docx

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PlotOverview

Context

MaxineHongwasbornin1940inStockton,California,whereherparents,TomandYingLanHong,operatedalaundry.MaxinegraduatedfromBerkeleyin1962andmarriedactorEarllKingstonthesameyear.Afterbecominginvolvedintheanti-warprotestsofthelatesixties,theKingstonsmovedtoHawaii,whereMaxinetaughtEnglishandbegancomposinghertwomemoirs, TheWomanWarrior （1976）and ChinaMen （1980）.Shepublishedherfirstnovel, TripmasterMonkey:

HisFakeBook, （1988）afterreturningtoCaliforniawithherhusband.In1990,KingstonbeganteachingatBerkeley.

TheWomanWarrior receivedwidepraisedfromcriticsandwontheNationalBookCriticsCircleAwardfornonfiction.Itsappealcutacrossawidevarietyacademicdisciplines,attractingboththoseinterestedinpostmoderntechniquesofautobiographyandthoseinterestedinstoriesofculturaldisplacementandalienation.Forscholarsofautobiography,Kingston'sstoryrepresentsanimportantbreakfrompastwritings;hercomplex,multi-layeredandquasi-fictionalnarrativefliesinthefaceoftraditionalautobiographies,whichtendtofollowalinear-chronologicalpatternandmaintainastablenarrator—an"I"—throughout.Kingston'smemoir,ontheotherhand,isablendingofvoicesandstyles,oftencontradictory,thatusemanyofthetechniquesofpostmodernism:

ambiguity,incoherence,pluralism,andirony.

Kingstonhasreceivedsomecriticismforpurportingtorepresentthe"typical"experienceofChinese-Americans,andinothercasesfortakingtraditionalmaterialandchangingittosuitherownneeds.OnesourceofthelattercriticismisthestoryofFaMuLan,atraditionalChinesemythaboutagirlwhotooktheplaceofherfatherinbattle.Inthe"WhiteTigers"sectionof TheWomanWarriorKingstonaddsandincorporateselementsfromothermythstocreateanentirelynewfantasyfromthestoryofFaMuLan.Forherpart,Kingstonclaimsthatsheneverintendedsuchstoriestobeeitherrepresentativeoraccurate.Furthermore,wemustkeepinmindthat TheWomanWarrior isnotachronicleofChinesecultureortraditions,butsimplyareflectionoftheexperienceofoneChinese-Americanfarremovedfromthecultureandtraditionsaboutwhichsheiswriting.

ThoughKingston'sworkmaynotbeuniversallyrepresentative,itdoesofferaglimpseintotherealitiesoflifeformanyChineseemigrantstoAmericaandtheirchildren.Asearlyasthe1840s,ChineseimmigrantshadbeenarrivinginAmericainsearchofbetterlives,drivenfromtheirhomecountrybywidespreadpovertyandattractedbypossibilitiesinthenewAmericanWest.However,likemanyotherethnicgroupsenteringAmericaatthetime,theimmigrantsfacedsocial,economic,andlegaldiscriminationthatlimitedtheirrightsandopportunities,keepingmostofthemlivingtogetherinpocketsofChinesecommunitiessuchastheareainStocktonwhereKingstongrewup.WomensuchasBraveOrchid,whohadoncebeenadoctorinherowncountry,wereforcedtotoilinsweatshopsorbecomelaundryworkers—someofthefewjobsavailabletoChinese-Americanswellintothetwentiethcentury.

Kingston'smemoirfindsitswayontothesyllabiofmanywomen'sstudiescoursesforthegenderissuesitraises,especiallyregardingtheroleofwomenintraditionalChinesesociety.BraveOrchidembodiesanarchetypalChineseattitudeofself-denialandself-abnegationforthegoodofthecommunity—theveryqualitiesthat"No-NameWoman"lacks.Kingston'smemoirisfurtherpepperedwithreferencestothesubjugationofwomeninChinesecultureandtradition,suchastheoft-repeatedphrase"bettertohavegeesethangirls." TheWomanWarrior isasmuchaboutKingston'sfindingvoiceandstrengthasanindependentwomanwithinthistradition,andhowtoreconcilethenotionofChinesewife-slavewiththetalk-storiesaboutswordswomenandshamans.

Though TheWomanWarrior easilystandsonitsown,Kingstondidintendittobereadinconjunctionwith ChinaMen, hercompanionpiecepublishedfouryearslater.WhilethefirstworktellsthestoriesoftheimportantwomeninKingston'slife,withthemenrelegatedtothebackground,thesecondfocusesonKingston'sfather,andthuscompletingthepictureofKingston'schildhood.Kingstonalsobelievesthatshefindsmoreofavoicein ChinaMen, andthatinordertoappreciate TheWomanWarrior itishelpfultoreadwhatshefeelsishermoreaccomplishedtext.Still,itisthefirstmemoirthatusuallyappearsonhighschoolandcollegesyllabiorinanthologies.Themostpopularchaptersinanthologiestendtobethefirsttwo,"No-NameWoman"and"WhiteTigers."

PlotOverview

TheWomanWarrior focusesonthestoriesoffivewomen—Kingston'slong-deadaunt,"No-NameWoman";amythicalfemalewarrior,FaMuLan;Kingston'smother,BraveOrchid;Kingston'saunt,MoonOrchid;andfinallyKingstonherself—toldinfivechapters.ThechaptersintegrateKingston'slivedexperiencewithaseriesoftalk-stories—spokenstoriesthatcombineChinesehistory,myths,andbeliefs—hermothertellsher.

Thefirstchapter,"No-NameWoman,"beginswithonesuchtalk-story,aboutanauntKingstonneverknewshehad.Becausethisaunthadbroughtdisgraceuponherfamilybyhavinganillegitimatechild,shekilledherselfandherbabybyjumpingintothefamilywellinChina.Afterhearingthestory,whichistoldtoherasawarning,Kingstonisneverallowedtomentionherauntaloudagain,soshedecidestocreateahistoryofherauntinhermemoir.Sheimaginesthewaysthatherauntattractedasuitor,comparingheraunt'sactionsofquietrebellionagainstthecommunitytoherownrebellion.Kingstonalsorecreatesheraunt'shorribleexperienceofgivingbirthinapigstyandimaginesheraunt'sghostwalkingaroundwithnoonetogiveitgifts,aswasChinesecustom.Intheend,Kingstonisunsurewhethersheisdoingjusticetoheraunt'smemoryorjustservingherownneeds.

"WhiteTigers"isbasedonanothertalk-story,oneaboutthemythicalfemalewarriorFaMuLan.FaMuLan,whosestoryistoldthroughKingston'sfirst-personnarrative,trainstobecomeawarriorfromthetimesheissevenyearsold,thenleadsanarmyofmen—evenpretendingtobeamanherself—againsttheforcesofacorruptbaronandemperor.Afterherbattlesareover,shereturnstobeawifeandmother.ThestoryofFaMuLaniscontrastedsharplywithKingston'sownlifeinAmerica,inwhichshecanbarelystanduptoherracistbosses.Kingstonrealizes,however,thatherweaponsareherwords.

"Shaman"focusesonKingston'smother,BraveOrchid,andheroldlifebackinChina.BraveOrchidwasapowerfuldoctor,midwife,and,accordingtothetalk-story,destroyerofghostsbackinhervillage.ToayoungKingston,BraveOrchid'spastisasastoundingasitisterrifying,andmanyoftheimagesfromhermother'stalk-story—Chinesebabieslefttodie,slavegirlsbeingboughtandsold,awomanstonedtodeathbyhervillagers—hauntKingston'sdreamsforyearstocome.Attheendofthechapter,Maxinevisitshermotherafterbeingawayformanyyears.Thetwoarriveatsomekindofunderstandingaftermanyyearsofdisagreementandconflict,andBraveOrchidiswarmandaffectionatetowardsherdaughterforthefirsttimeinthememoir.

Thetitleof"AttheWesternPalace"referstoanotherofBraveOrchid'stalk-stories,aboutanemperorwhohadfourwives.ItisananalogyforhersisterMoonOrchid'ssituation:

MoonOrchid'shusband,nowasuccessfulLosAngelesdoctor,hadleftherbehindinChinaandremarriedinAmerica.BraveOrchidurgeshersisterintoadisastrousconfrontationwiththemantodemandherdueashiswife.Asaresult,MoonOrchid,whodoesnotspeakawordofEnglish,islefttofendforherselfinAmerica.SheeventuallygoescrazyanddiesinaCaliforniastatementalasylum.

Thefinalchapterofthememoir,"ASongforaBarbarianReedPipe,"isaboutKingstonherself.Thissectionfocusesmainlyonherchildhoodandteenageyears,depictingherangerandfrustrationintryingtoexpressherselfandattemptingtopleaseanunappreciativemother.ThereareanumberofcharacterswhosepersonalitieshighlightmanyofherKingston'sowncharacteristics,includingasilentChinesegirlwhomKingstontormentsasalittlegirl.Inapivotalmomentinthechapter,Kingston,afterunsuccessfullytryingtoexpressherfeelingsoneatatime,eruptsathermotherwithatorrentofcomplaintsandcriticisms.Laterinherlife,however,Kingstoncomestoappreciatehermother'stalk-stories.Attheendofthechaptersheeventellsoneherself:

thestoryofTs'aiYen,awarriorpoetesscapturedbybarbarianswhoreturnstotheChinesewithsongsfromanotherland.ItisafittingconclusiontoatextinwhichKingstoncombinesverydifferentworldsandculturesandcreateaharmonyofherown.

CharacterList

MaxineHongKingston  - Theauthorandnarratorof TheWomanWarrior.Kingstonrelatesbothherownmemoirandthestoriesofwomenrelatedorlinkedtoherinsomeway:

hermother,heraunt（MoonOrchid）,No-NameWoman,andmythicalcharacterssuchasFaMuLan.ThoughKingstonisthenarrator,shesharestheprotagonistrolewithhermother.Hermemoriesofownlifedonotfigureprominentlyuntilthefinalchapter,"ASongforaBarbarianReedPipe,"inwhichshegrowsoutofthefrustrationsofherchildhoodandfindsherownvoice.

BraveOrchid  - Kingston'smother,whose"talk-stories"aboutChineselifeandtraditionshauntKingstonlikeghostsfromanotherworld.BraveOrchidisaproudandintelligentwomanwhocomesoffasbothgentleandcruelinequalpartsinthememoir.Sheappearsthroughoutthebookbutfiguresmostprominentlyin"Shaman,"whichdepictsherlifeinChinaasadoctorandawoman