The Woman Warrior Literary Analysis Essay Sample

The Woman Warrior, written by Maxine Hong Kingston, combines Chinese folktales with an autobiography of the narrator’s experience as a woman of Chinese descent growing up in America. The Chinese folktales that the narrator takes account of in The Woman Warrior are passed down from her mother to her. The narrator’s mother is a primary influence upon her experience as a woman with ties to Chinese traditions but grew up in an American society. The reason for this is that her mother teaches her about her experience with Chinese traditions while she simultaneously experiences the American side of things. Because they grew up differently, their perceptions and views on how things should be are diverged. This causes miscommunications which only hurt their relationship. The narrator of The Woman Warrior and her mother have a complex relationship that is rooted in miscommunications that are not only due to them being mother and daughter but also a result of the different cultures and societies they grew up with. 

 One subject of matter that promotes their different views concerns how to deliver compliments. In the chapter A Song for Barbarian Reed Pipe, the narrator and her mom were having a conflict when the narrator says, “And it doesn't matter if a person is ugly; she can still do schoolwork” (203). The mom responds surprisingly by stating “I didn't say you were ugly”(203). “You say that all the time,” the narrator says, confused. The narrator’s mom then explains herself when she says, “That’s what we are supposed to say. That's what Chinese say. We like to say the opposite” (203). Growing up in America, the narrator expects her compliments to be straightforward so when she hears her mother insulting her, she rightfully perceives this to be an insult. The narrator is then hurt by her mother’s words and believes her mother does not think highly of her. Her mother explains her behavior by telling her daughter that the culture in China had taught her to say the opposite of what she means such as using insults instead of compliments. Due to the difference of what they were taught, all of the times her mother insulted her, “you're not so smart” (202); “Who’d want to marry you anyway? Noisy. Talking like a duck. Disobedient. Messy” (202); or any other derogatory comment, the narrator learned to think her mother was not very fond of her while her mother was actually expressing her love just in the way she was taught to. Due to this miscommunication of how to deliver words of affirmation, a large void and tension in their relationship is created. The difference of culture and society forms another miscommunication surrounding what the narrator is going to do with her future. 

Throughout her childhood, the narrator was told stories about the women in China by her mom. She heard how women’s purpose was to be sold into slavery and, if not sold into slavery, their parents would arrange a man for them to marry so they could serve him and his family. Her mother not only explained how that was normal but how she had bought a daughter to serve her herself. Due to these views, daughters were seen to have the purpose to serve, this led to the mistreatment and disrespect of women in China. When the narrator heard the stories about the women in China from her mother, she assumed that the only thing her future held for her was to be set up with a man she would marry and serve. However, having grown up in an American society where women did get an education and made a living for themselves, the narrator was compelled to do just that. The narrator shares her thoughts regarding this when she says, “They tell me I'm smart, and I can win scholarships. I can get into colleges. I’ve already applied. I am smart. I can do all kinds of things. I know how to get A’s, and they say I could be a scientist or a mathematician if I want. I can make a living and take care of myself. So you don’t have to find me a keeper who’s too dumb to know a bad bargain.” (201). The narrator reveals her decision that she is going to go to college, have a career, and make a living for herself without a man being involved. The narrator’s mom adds her view on the subject when she says, “And I know about college. What makes you think you're the first one to think about college? I was a doctor. I went to medical school. I don't see why you have to be a mathematician. I don't see why you can't be a doctor like me” (202). The narrator’s mother declares that she was expecting her daughter to go to college and have a career no matter how many stories she told about women being sold into slavery and/or serving a man. This confuses our narrator as all that she has been told about women from her mom was the fate of women in China while she was living there. The narrator interprets that her parents are going to arrange a marriage for her where she serve the man because of all the stories her mom tells her of that happening in China but her mom has expected her to get an education and make a career for herself as she did all this time, except, she didn't communicate that thought. This miscommunication of what the narrator is going to do with her future creates a distance between the mom and daughter as the daughter doesn't see her views as lining up with her mom’s.  Miscommunication due to the society that the narrator’s mom grew up with compared to the society her daughter grew up in is a common motif in the novel.

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston recounts a story about the narrator’s relationship with her mom. The narrator and her mother have an unstable relationship due to the amount of miscommunication triggered by the different societies and cultures the daughter grew up with is very different from the society and culture her mother grew up in. This is illustrated by their different perceptions regarding how to deliver words of affirmation and also by the narrator’s perception of what her mother thought her future would entail. These types of miscommunications are derived from the cultural differences that separate the narrator from her mom. This autobiography reveals the emotional impact that the difference of culture has on the narrator’s relationship with her mom.