In her academic article discussing cultural politics, Yuan Shu mentions, “Kingston unwittingly constructs an orientalist framework in her book to differentiate herself from her mother and Chinese culture and, in the process, duplicates the ideologies and problematics of the US dominant culture” (Shu 200).
Therefore, Kingston must learn to navigate the complexities of identifying with the isolation of her “forerunner” contrasted with her loyalty to her family. Yet Kingston is not alone in this conflict but has brought her readers into this complex dialogue as well, battling the dichotomy of modern American thinking and the cultural values of old China. The process of understanding her identity
Societal deprivation of women’s right to choose for themselves frequently consigns these women to the roles of slaves or creatures less than human. However, this does not reflect on the value of women, as Kingston discovers in humanizing her aunt, but on society. Kingston demonstrates a poignant example of a woman deprived of her voice. Therefore, Kingston’s choice to ignore her mother’s caution to “not tell anyone” of their family’s disgrace and be a voice for her aunt is a powerful act of defiance against the oppression of women in China (Kingston 3).…show more content… I am telling on her, and she was a spite suicide, drowning in drinking water” (Kingston 19). Kingston’s perspective eventually changes as she considers the villagers perspective and is caught between loyalty to her family and their value of honor and her desire to see her aunt, and by extension, herself, be heard. Certainly, when Kingston’s mother warns her to never discuss her aunt’s story, but by sharing this long safeguarded, family secret, she invites a greater audience into her internal
