Although I found this story confusing and had to read it a
second time, I think I have begun to explicate some of its meaning. Without
getting into details, the story is about the narrator’s aunt, who committed
adultery, thus bringing shame to her, her family and the community: all in
accordance with old Chinese custom. Kingston’s mother tells the story, which
may be part true and part fabricated, in order to teach her daughter how to live honorably in the old Chinese culture: “Whenever she had to warn us about
life, my mother told stories that ran like this one, a story to grow up on”
(2746). Kingston takes up the disparate strands of her mother’s traditional story
and personalizes it, making it her own.
The disgraced nameless aunt committed suicide by hurling
herself and her infant into the family well. No one is permitted to mention her
name; it is as if she never existed. But in retelling the story, Kingston imagines
details about her aunt’s life, thereby restoring her identity: “To sustain her being in love, she often
worked at herself in the mirror, guessing at the colors and shapes that would
interest him, changing them frequently in order to hit on the right
combination. She wanted him to look back” (2748). Kingston later confides to
her readers: “My aunt haunts me, her ghost drawn to me because now, after fifty
years of neglect, I alone devote pages of paper to her…” (2753). Ironically, by
calling her story “No Name Woman” Kingston has not only given her aunt a
name, but also existence.
Charles, the fact that Kingston has "given her aunt a name, [and] also existence" is, for loss of better words, beautiful. This is the second time I have read this story and it never fails to cause me extreme discomfort, not only through the images of death, but also the lost voice of the aunt. There is an extreme gender inequality between the impregnated aunt who is tortured into guilt until she commits suicide, and the man who quite possibly raped her and remains free from the judgment and cruelty of the village.
ReplyDeleteRachel, Indeed, there is much material in the text to be mined and discussed in Wednesday's class. I also found the extreme gender inequality in the piece disturbing. The aunt had far more honor and integrity than her male counterpart, as she did not name the man who caused her pregnancy in order not to shame his family. As if to add insult to injury, this was the same man who organized the villagers to ransack her home!
ReplyDeleteThis is the second time that I've read this story, and even though it is disturbing in parts, I love it. I love that, as you said, Kingston "has not only given her aunt a name, but also existence." When Kingston comes up with the various scenarios surrounding her aunt's pregnancy, she is giving her a history when her mother and other family members would not.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be repetitive, but the last line of your post is so striking and true! It is as if Kingston feels remorse and wants to take the time to pay respect to her aunt by writing this for her. Though her aunt may not have an identity to Kingston's family, she has one to Kingston's audience.
ReplyDeleteCharles, I love how you have pointed out how Kingston gave her aunt an identity. Kingston addresses issues of gender inequality and suicide. This story is powerful, and even more so because the aunt is still shunned. As readers we can see her pain, but due to gender differences, her family cannot. Kingston also speaks of her mother having her feet bound, which sounds incredibly painful. This isn't viewed as cruel or unfair; it is just what has to happen. I believe what makes this story so powerful is the lack of remorse.
ReplyDeleteGoing off of Kristi's post of what makes this story powerful, I think that the story is powerful because readers not only feel uncomfortable with the idea of suicide, but how the culture views it. I think that Kingston uses these hard to handle topics and can make a reader feel uncomfortable but still keeps you interested.
ReplyDelete