The Woman Warrior

In The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, Kingston talks about the struggles that she has living in America. Kingston also uses the tale of Fa Mulan to explain to her readers what type of life she would rather live. The tale of Fa Mulan tells the story of a young woman who eventually leads her own army and takes down corrupt barons and emperors in ancient China. Having the power to overrule emperors and barons is exactly what Kingston wants to do but cannot in her American life. She has racist bosses that she cannot do anything about because she is a woman during the time period of male superiority. Kingston also goes on about how much responsibility she has and how she basically has to take care of her family and her extended family. In addition, I feel that Kingston tried to adopt the identity of Fa Mulan by writing The Woman Warrior. Similar to how Mulan had to dress as a man because a woman leader would be unacceptable at the time. Kingston writes The Woman Warrior as a means of expressing her ideas and how seriously people should take the female gender.