The Regeneration Of Chinese American Women In The Woman Warrior

Maxine Hong Kingston (Tang Tingting in Chinese) is one of the most representative female Chinese-American writers in the late 20th century. Since it was published in 1976, her representative work, The Woman Warrior: Memories of a Girlhood among Ghosts, has established her place in the history literature. At the same time, it is hailed as a milestone in Chinese American literary history. By vividly describing the protagonist's growing experience and inner thoughts, the novel reveals the dual dilemmas of gender and race that she confronts in America and the psychological growing process of finally establishing her identity as a Chinese American. From The Woman Warrior, we could know the struggle and exploration of Chinese Americans who attempt to establish their unique cultural identity in the crevice of both Chinese and American cultures. Many critics have analyzed The Woman Warrior from many perspectives, like postmodernism, feminism and multiculturalism, but this thesis uses Bildungsroman theory to analyze the novel. Based on the analysis on the novel, the thesis briefly introduces the life of Chinese American women and the identity crisis they encounter. By way of textual analysis and induction, it devotes to the solution to the problem of how to establish a Chinese American woman cultural and gender identities and finally realize their spiritual growth. As the representatives of the first-generation and the second-generation immigrants respectively, the four women in The Woman Warrior experience different journey of pursuing their unique identities. The first generation initially completely rejects American culture, but they began to accept it after living in America many years; while the second-generation immigrants are eager to become a real American, but eventually they realize that Chinese culture is their root that can never be discarded. The two generations manage to find their self by accepting multiculturalism, which is the destination of pursuit of cultural identity. Through the above analysis based on Bildungsroman, this paper may at least claim the following conclusion: Chinese Americans are able to achieve the true spiritual growth only if they try to break silence and realize their cultural and gender identities.