From The Woman Warrior

From “The Woman Warrior” by Maxine Hong Kingston 

“You get no warning that you shouldn’t wear a white ribbon in your hair until they hit you and give you a sideways glare for the rest of the day” (456)

“When he grew older, he got a bicycle and let the girls play with his old tricycle and wagon. My mother bought his sisters a typewriter” (458). 

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Throughout this whole excerpt, I noticed the struggles of how the adults in her life played a role in the relationship with Kingston’s self-perception. All the rules that were set in place based on Chinese customs seemed like they were unfair and brutal to follow. If they did not follow these rules the consequences to their actions seemed even worse. The way that her parents treated her as well as her sisters, I believe, had a serious impact on their self-esteem. Always being belittled for things and being told they aren’t as worthy of things because they are not boys. The second quote that I pulled from the text is one example of how the girls were treated when they were younger. They were called names by their elders and were very stereotyped against. Throughout her story she would describe herself in demeaning terms and feel that she isn’t worthy enough to play the roles that are presented in Chinese culture. Her mother even fixed her tongue when she was a child so that she would be able to speak better when she was older. Kingston’s family wanted to fit the role and customs that the Chinese had so badly, but she didn’t which I think caused the main arguments between her and her mother.