An Analysis Of Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior
There are many barriers in the world that keep people from understanding each other. Kingston uses her book to help her reader not only cross the lines of culture, but also become immersed in it. However, she knows that there are many more obstacles that could keep the reader from truly appreciating her work, one of which being simply the difference of viewpoint, and does her best to address those too. An analysis of Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior reveals that Kingston is aware of how point of view can affect a story, and that she uses this to her advantage throughout the novel in order to give the reader a better understanding of what life was like for her. Kingston uses first person most often, as it serves her primary purpose:
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to enable the reader to see the world through her eyes. This, “establishes an intimacy and involvement for the reader,” which is crucial to understanding Kingston’s life as she experienced it (Macauley and Lanning 139). By expressing her thoughts using “I,” such as, “…I have tried to turn myself American-feminine,” she makes it easier for the reader to sympathize with and understand her (Kingston 11). She even uses, “I,” when relating the talk story of Fa-Mulan. By saying, “When I could point at the sky…,” rather than saying that Fa-Mulan could, she shows the reader how closely she identified with the heroine, and how much she aspired to be like her (Kingston 33). And after all, the main character of her novel is herself, therefore it is only natural that she refers to her main character as she refers to herself. However, she does not confine herself to the first person point of view.
Kingston also takes on the role of an observer throughout the book.
It is still her interpretation of the world around her, but it goes beyond her immediate life to explore the experiences of those close to her, such as her mother. She, “…has the advantage of being able to see the faces of all…and to use insight about what emotions they are experiencing,” to draw conclusions about what’s really going on (Macauley and Lanning 134). She takes what she knows, such as what her mother told her about becoming a doctor, then adds her own qualifications, such as, “Maybe my mother’s secret place was…,” or, “My mother relished these scare orgies,” on to it (Kingston 64, 65). However, she keeps her musings to a minimum. “…[Her] role [is] even less than secondary,” only taking part in the occasional interruption of the story in order to present information that otherwise would have been obscured, such as her mother’s feelings towards her former slave versus her feeling towards Kingston (Macauley and Lanning 134). We would have been largely unaware of this had Kingston not inserted the dialogue that resulted in her mother lamenting, “and here I was…paying two hundred dollars for you” (Kingston 83). This helps the reader develop not only an understanding of the people in Kingston’s life, but of their relationship with her and the effect they had on
her. Kingston becomes the all-knowing story teller, too. This is most evident in her second to last chapter, “At the Western Palace.” While she continues to act as an observer, looking on from the outside, she also, “… borrow[s] the vison of a character and see[s] things from that point of view for a while, such as that of her mother or her aunt” (Macauley and Lanning 142). For example, when she states, “How vain. She marveled at their vanity,” it is clear that these are the inner thoughts of Moon Orchid (Kingston 134). Similarly, “She was glad her children were not useless,” is not a statement Kingston could have made about Brave Orchid as a mere onlooker (Kingston 114). However, as these insights are ultimately speculations made by Kingston herself, it still contributes to the recreation of her childhood. By showing how other people, particularly her mother, saw life, she also shows the affect it had on her, and what it was like to live alongside these minds, thus giving the reader a more comprehensive understanding of her life. Kingston skillfully manipulates point of view in order to get her reader to understand what she is trying to communicate. By doing this she forces the reader to open eyes and consider all aspects of her life. But this lesson is not limited merely to her life, but the reader’s own life, and the lives of those all around them. In order to understand someone else, it becomes important to consider how they see and think.
to enable the reader to see the world through her eyes. This, “establishes an intimacy and involvement for the reader,” which is crucial to understanding Kingston’s life as she experienced it (Macauley and Lanning 139). By expressing her thoughts using “I,” such as, “…I have tried to turn myself American-feminine,” she makes it easier for the reader to sympathize with and understand her (Kingston 11). She even uses, “I,” when relating the talk story of Fa-Mulan. By saying, “When I could point at the sky…,” rather than saying that Fa-Mulan could, she shows the reader how closely she identified with the heroine, and how much she aspired to be like her (Kingston 33). And after all, the main character of her novel is herself, therefore it is only natural that she refers to her main character as she refers to herself. However, she does not confine herself to the first person point of view.
Kingston also takes on the role of an observer throughout the book.
It is still her interpretation of the world around her, but it goes beyond her immediate life to explore the experiences of those close to her, such as her mother. She, “…has the advantage of being able to see the faces of all…and to use insight about what emotions they are experiencing,” to draw conclusions about what’s really going on (Macauley and Lanning 134). She takes what she knows, such as what her mother told her about becoming a doctor, then adds her own qualifications, such as, “Maybe my mother’s secret place was…,” or, “My mother relished these scare orgies,” on to it (Kingston 64, 65). However, she keeps her musings to a minimum. “…[Her] role [is] even less than secondary,” only taking part in the occasional interruption of the story in order to present information that otherwise would have been obscured, such as her mother’s feelings towards her former slave versus her feeling towards Kingston (Macauley and Lanning 134). We would have been largely unaware of this had Kingston not inserted the dialogue that resulted in her mother lamenting, “and here I was…paying two hundred dollars for you” (Kingston 83). This helps the reader develop not only an understanding of the people in Kingston’s life, but of their relationship with her and the effect they had on
her. Kingston becomes the all-knowing story teller, too. This is most evident in her second to last chapter, “At the Western Palace.” While she continues to act as an observer, looking on from the outside, she also, “… borrow[s] the vison of a character and see[s] things from that point of view for a while, such as that of her mother or her aunt” (Macauley and Lanning 142). For example, when she states, “How vain. She marveled at their vanity,” it is clear that these are the inner thoughts of Moon Orchid (Kingston 134). Similarly, “She was glad her children were not useless,” is not a statement Kingston could have made about Brave Orchid as a mere onlooker (Kingston 114). However, as these insights are ultimately speculations made by Kingston herself, it still contributes to the recreation of her childhood. By showing how other people, particularly her mother, saw life, she also shows the affect it had on her, and what it was like to live alongside these minds, thus giving the reader a more comprehensive understanding of her life. Kingston skillfully manipulates point of view in order to get her reader to understand what she is trying to communicate. By doing this she forces the reader to open eyes and consider all aspects of her life. But this lesson is not limited merely to her life, but the reader’s own life, and the lives of those all around them. In order to understand someone else, it becomes important to consider how they see and think.