"No Name Woman": A Clash of Two Cultures.
Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior presents the struggles of a Chinese-American woman growing up as she attempts to reconcile two cultures. These two conflicting cultures are her as a female devaluing Chinese culture and being influenced by an American culture, and her developing her own identity as a Chinese-American. The chapter "No Name Woman" is a perfectly illustrated example of the woman's place in traditional Chinese society, and how it differs from that in America. Instead of receiving the knowledge of her cultural past passively, Kingston questions it, amplifies it, and criticizes it with American eyes. Throughout the chapter, Kingston, who grew up in a liberal democratic western world, is trying to understand the Chinese culture, as well as the woman's place in Chinese society and its traditions. .
In "No Name Woman, Kingston often becomes caught up in her own fantasy world, in which she is separated from reality. Kingston is a Chinese-American woman, who has never been to China; however, Kingston writes about the stories her mother tells her in great detail. The story of "No-Name Woman" serves as a backdrop for Kingston's own experience growing up as a Chinese-American, torn between the world of Chinese customs and traditions that surround her. "No Name Woman" tells the story of the paternal aunt who bears a child out of wedlock, and is harried by the villagers and by her family into drowning herself. She shows examples of this cruelty when she explains: "The villagers ripped up her clothes and shoes and broke her combs, grinding them underfoot," Kingston states (4). It was a disgrace and embarrassment for the entire family that their daughter had a bastard child. Kinston states, "Don't humiliate us. You wouldn't like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful." (5). The family now punishes this taboo-breaker by never speaking of her, by denying her name.
