Although most of this story is about
Kingston’s aunt and the Chinese customs surrounding her story, there are parts
where she talks about her childhood and being Chinese-American. According to
Kingston, being Chinese-American means being confused as to where you fit in.
She states, “Those of us in the first American generations have had to figure
out how the invisible world the emigrants built around our childhoods fits in
solid America” (2746). It is hard for Kingston and those like her to find their
standing as Chinese-Americans in America. She tells us that sometimes the
Chinese in America hide their real – Chinese – names: “The Chinese I know hide
their names; sojourners take new names when their lives change and guard their
real names with silence” (2746). They are trying to fit in in America and
sometimes that means changing or hiding their real names. Trying to distinguish
between her American side and her Chinese side prompted her to come up with
these different stories about her aunt that she tells her audience, because her
mother won’t tell her the real story.
I actually compared "No Name Woman" and "Mrs. Spring
ReplyDeleteFragrance" to one another because both stories involve Chinese-Americans. As I found in "Mrs. Spring Fragrance," Mr. Spring Fragrance is judgmental towards American beliefs. However, Kingston doesn't seem to incorporate the same judgmental beliefs into her story. In a way, I think Kingston is actually gracious that she lives in America with its more progressive beliefs rather than China where traditional Chinese beliefs had been cherished during her aunts life time.
I can definitely see this need to fit in come up many times in this story. A line that really struck me was "walking erect...speaking in an inaudible voice, I have tried to turn myself American-feminine" (2749). It seems here, the girl is trying to follow the social norms of America, but her past has made that difficult.
ReplyDeletePaige, I think it is interesting that Kingston included what is considered "American-feminine" versus what is Chinese-feminine. In the text, she writes about how Chinese women speak loudly and American women are soft-spoken. This is a fascinating observation/claim to me because feminine values of modesty are completely the opposite of vocal volume. We understand Chinese women, according to Kingston, as more modest but more outspoken, yet American women are arguably more attentive to their beauty regimes, but are softer spoken. I think these cultural differences posited by our narrator are cool to think about.
DeleteTry to imagine the difficulty of being assimilated into a vastly different culture than the one you grew up in. There is bound to be conflict and misunderstanding. Also, as Keegan points out in her post, if Kingston's mother does not provide the true story about the aunt (if there is one), then Kingston is left to invent her own: one that permits her to live with herself and honors her aunt's spirit.
ReplyDelete