Many novelists have tried to capture what it would be like to be trapped between two worlds, they take their characters on amazing adventures and with a swish of pen, have them overcome their hardest struggles. Maxine Hong Kingston does the same thing, however, she does it for real.
Being a first generation to experience America from childhood, no one but Kingston could imagine the confusing situation of being trapped between her traditional Asian family's traditions and expectations, and American culture.
At the very start of puberty the narrator is told by her mother of an aunt she once had. Her aunt, a mystery woman who has been stripped of her name for the disgrace she brought upon her family for becoming pregnant out of wedlock, and as a result threw herself with her newborn child down a well to die.
What does this mean for the narrator?
This is all the information the narrator is allowed by her mother. Their family is private and questions are not encouraged. She is meant to only learn from the story to protect her virtue. But it strikes more than "birds and bees" questions with the narrator, to the narrator it raises questions about her identity. What does it mean to be herself within her family? What does it mean to be herself in America? Who is she?
The narrator begins to relate with her unidentified aunt, as neither of them having an identity. The narrator feels disconnected from everyone around her as she can't totally identify with either culture. Writing about her aunt helps her find herself. Empathizing with her aunt helps the narrator to put to bed any haunted feelings towards her aunts behavior, and what drove her to act the way she did. The narrator identifies what she does not agree with about her native culture, and is able to move on and create who she wants to be.
Being a first generation to experience America from childhood, no one but Kingston could imagine the confusing situation of being trapped between her traditional Asian family's traditions and expectations, and American culture.
At the very start of puberty the narrator is told by her mother of an aunt she once had. Her aunt, a mystery woman who has been stripped of her name for the disgrace she brought upon her family for becoming pregnant out of wedlock, and as a result threw herself with her newborn child down a well to die.
What does this mean for the narrator?
This is all the information the narrator is allowed by her mother. Their family is private and questions are not encouraged. She is meant to only learn from the story to protect her virtue. But it strikes more than "birds and bees" questions with the narrator, to the narrator it raises questions about her identity. What does it mean to be herself within her family? What does it mean to be herself in America? Who is she?
The narrator begins to relate with her unidentified aunt, as neither of them having an identity. The narrator feels disconnected from everyone around her as she can't totally identify with either culture. Writing about her aunt helps her find herself. Empathizing with her aunt helps the narrator to put to bed any haunted feelings towards her aunts behavior, and what drove her to act the way she did. The narrator identifies what she does not agree with about her native culture, and is able to move on and create who she wants to be.
I agree that it seems like this is not a typical first sex talk for a parent to have with their child. She seems to paint sex as a very negative thing. She doesn't really give her daughter a choice of how she would like to live out her sexuality, it is simply shamed immediately. There also seems to be a lot of cultural identity issues and struggles with the narrator, as you mentioned. It's almost like you has to meet the standards of Chinese culture while to fitting into American culture.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how Kingston seems truly caught between cultural expectations. I wonder if writing and storytelling helps her find her way...
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how Kingston seems truly caught between cultural expectations. I wonder if writing and storytelling helps her find her way...
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. It does seem like a very weird time for her mother to tell her this story especially since she is expected not to ask any questions or talk about her aunt ever again.
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