Character Analysis: The Woman Warrior

Throughout the book, The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston, the generation gap between the narrator and Brave Orchid is evident. The narrator feels that her mother’s culture values have no relevance in America. In the chapter, At the Western Palace, Brave Orchid sends for her sister, Moon Orchid, to come to America and urges Moon Orchid to confront her sister’s husband. The ideas that Brave Orchid has are bold and they conflict with Moon Orchid’s nature. Brave Orchid and Moon Orchid are two Chinese women who live in two different countries. They are separated by a cultural gap rather than a generation gap. This gap between Brave Orchid and Moon Orchid has created two inimical viewpoints on the value of physical
Most of the time, Asia’s women are cooking, cleaning, and sewing, which is manual work. In America, when women go out in public, they try to look presentable, pleasing to the human eye. After Moon Orchid arrives, one of the first things that Brave Orchid does is point out that Moon Orchid is fat and looks very old. “You’re an old woman...your hair is white and your face wrinkled...you’re so fat.” In Asia, fat people are considered to be rich. Being fat is a sign of being rich because only rich people can afford to eat so much that it would make them fat. In America, obesity is often times something to be ashamed of. Americans seem to desire the body of a model. Brave Orchid also screams at her own children about their appearance but Moon Orchid always defends them. Brave Orchid is very concerned with physical appearance and how people view her and her family. When Moon Orchid’s daughter points out that her children can speak both Chinese and English, Brave Orchid immediately points out that her children could do the same. Brave Orchid did not want her family to appear stupid or uneducated. Moon Orchid is just the opposite. She does not worry about her looks. After Brave Orchid meets the second wife, she goes to Moon Orchid and says, “She’s very pretty and very young...you need to sit up
When immigrants come from other countries, they strive to achieve the “American Dream.” Often times, they lose sight of their dream and are tempted and blinded by luxuries. People who live in Asia, work long, hard hours to support their family. In places like China, the best a person can do is to earn enough to provide his/her family with the bare necessities. They feel that extravagance is a waste. Brave Orchid has lived that immigrant life. She goes to America to achieve a dream and discovers there that extravagance exists and can be attained. Moon Orchid who lived in China does not understand why such luxuries are desired. Brave Orchid wants Moon Orchid to take advantage of all that Moon Orchid’s husband may have. Brave Orchid tells her to, “...Let him know exactly how much money you expect for allowance...Ask for more, of course. Food costs more here. Tell him your daughter must inherit his property...” She urges Moon Orchid to demand many material things. America has taught her that one can be rich and she sees this as a “get rich quick” opportunity. Moon Orchid does not understand why her sister wants so much. Moon Orchid was satisfied with the money her husband sent her. She could live comfortably off it and was able to send her daughter to college. “He didn’t abandon me. He’s given me so much