The No Name Woman Analysis

In the essay “The No Name Woman” by Maxine Hong Kingston, the story of living in a traditionally male-dominated Chinese society with a very dysfunctional family structure is told. The villages would look upon the men as useful, and women as useless to their society. Kingston, the main character, learns this first hand from how her aunt was treated. Kingston’s aunt, The No Name Woman, is victimized by a male-dominated society by being shunned for an illegitimate child. As a woman, the odds were automatically against you in their society. The authority of tradition in the society Kingston lived in is very oppressive. Living in a male-dominated society forces Kingston to live in curiosity and fear due to her aunt 's act of adultery. Brave Orchid, Kingston 's mother, draws on Chinese myths and experiences to teach Chinese traditions and customs to her daughter. They are not usually fact, so Kingston has to decipher what is real from what is fantasy. The story opens up a world of imagination for her about not only what it is like for her aunt, but what it may be like for her. Kingston’s mother exposes the story of her aunt to her as somewhat of a warning. Kingston’s mother explains to her how crucial it is to understand that what she does as a woman in their society is looked upon closely

There is a social hierarchy in a place where women are inferior to men. Being born a woman lead to a life of order and minimal room for error. Ironically, the women are at fault because they are women, and they pay the price for it. Knowing that she lives in a patriarchal society, it is possible that she chose to commit suicide because she didn’t want to live such a miserable life any longer. Neither did she want that life for her child, especially if that child had been a girl. If she birthed a girl, the baby would already be faced with discrimination and challenges even as a