20 Contemporary Literature, 1970 to Present
perceives to be exclusionary definitions of Chinese American identity based
on masculine or “heroic” traits. Students might consider examining The Woman
Warrior with this controversy over “authenticity” in mind, paying particular
attention to aspects in the work most often criticized. Important to consider
are the narrator’s exploration of Chinese and American culture and her stance
toward them, in particular, the questioning, undercutting, and revision of all
her stories (as in the story of the “no name” aunt and of tongue cutting). Stu-
dents might also discuss the ways The Woman Warrior can be and has been
“misread,” considering the consequences of these misreadings, and offering
a remedy. Kingston addresses these in “Cultural Misreading by American
Reviewers” as does Li. Other helpful works are Grice and Wong; the former
provides a summary of the criticism against Kingston in a chapter devoted to
The Woman Warrior, and the latter includes essays both criticizing and praising
the work. Students could also consult Jeehyun Lim, who challenges Kingston’s
critics for “misread[ing] her play with ideas of foreignness and nativeness,” and
Kingston’s own comments about her critics (made during an interview with
Marilyn Chin, included in Skenazy and Martin).
- The narrator juxtaposes the Fa Mu Lan story against a comment about her own
life. “My American life,” she says, “has been such a disappointment.” Students
might want to examine how the narrator’s revision of Fa Mu Lan allows her to
explore and reconcile the paradoxical version of female identity represented by
what she has observed in Chinese and American cultures, her mother’s “talk-
story,” and the myths she has been told. How does her revision of the story help
her to shape a positive identity that is female and Chinese American? Another
way to approach Kingston’s version of Fa Mu Lan would be to compare it to the
original (Frank Chin provides a translation, “The Ballad of Mulan,” in his essay,
pp. 5–6) and other revisions, such as the Disney animated film Mulan (1998) and
Jeanne Lee’s illustrated children’s book The Song of Mu Lan (1995). Students can
show what elements Kingston has added to the story and how her revision com-
pares with others. In addition, students might consider how changes, additions,
and/or deletions highlight certain themes. How do the changes help the narrator
define herself and her Chinese American identity? For critical discussions about
Kingston’s representation of Fa Mu Lan, see Dong and Lan.
- Critics have praised Kingston for her attention to the subjectivity of Chinese
women who have long been oppressed by Chinese male tradition. This approach,
however, may ignore other thematic concerns in The Woman Warrior. Maureen
Sabine argues that Kingston’s first work should be read alongside China Men,
citing Kingston’s own description of how she conceived of and wrote the two
works together. Kingston decided to separate the male and female narratives
when she felt that the “men’s stories seemed to interfere. They were weaken-
ing the feminist point of view. So I took all the men’s stories out, and then I
had The Woman Warrior .” Sabine’s study (especially the introduction and first
chapter) would serve as a starting point for students interested in comparing
The Woman Warrior and China Men. Students should pay close attention to the
connections between male and female immigrant experiences, for example, the
ways both are subject to immigration laws, stereotypical thinking, and silenc-
