Finding Yourself The Establishment of Female Identities in Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior

Abstract

The two main female characters in Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, the narrator and Brave Orchid, develop as the novel progresses. Through examining several factors, such as ethnicity, nationality and immigration, this thesis shows how these aspects influenced the establishment of the identity of the narrator and Brave Orchid. The intersection of factors creates an individual identity for both characters. This analysis leads to the conclusion that, within the boundaries of the novel, it is easier to be a child of Chinese immigrants in the USA than an immigrant yourself. The narrator eventually prospers as a Chinese American woman in American society, despite the difficulties that she encountered in her life. This is in opposition to her mother, who is alienated from American day-to-day life, as she clings to traditional Chinese values and refuses to adapt to American customs.