“…it is as if she had never been born”: Kingston’s re-creation of a story about the unspoken wonders of the Aunt she’d never known.

The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston, starts with the first chapter, “No Name Woman”, with Kingston’s Mother telling her about the Aunt that was never spoken of.  Her aunt brought shame to the family because of adultery and was pregnant with a child that did not belong to her husband. Her mother proceeds to emphasize on the consequences of violence the village had brought to their family on the night the baby was due to be born.  The villagers raided their house, destroying absolutely everything valuable to them while the family stood their helplessly watching. The aftermath left her shunned by the family, as they said, “Aiaa, we’re going to die. Death is coming. Look what you’ve done. You’ve killed us. Ghost! Dead ghost! Ghost! You’ve never been born” (14).  Her aunt ran off that night, and was left alone to give birth in a pigsty because “old fashioned women gave birth in their pigsties to fool the jealous, pain-dealing gods, who do not snatch piglets.”(14). The morning after, Kingston’s mother went for water and found her sister in-law and the newborn child plugging up the family well.

While Kingston questions her aunt’s actions, it seems like she is trying to uncover valid excuses as to why she did what she did.  An example of this would be on page 6, where Kingston says “Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil. I wonder whether he masked himself when he joined the raid on her family”.  Kingston is looking at her aunt’s actions in very different ways from the family and is thinking deeply into how her aunt could have met this man, or if she was in need of something in return. The thought of her aunt drowning herself and her newborn child in the family well seems selfish, or out of spite but Kingston then says, “Carrying the baby to the well shows loving. Otherwise abandon it.  Turn its face in the mud. Mothers who love their children take them along. It was probably a girl; there is some hope of forgiveness for boys.” (15).

The reason Kingston’s Mother is telling her this story is to warn her and says, “Now that you are starting to menstruate, what happened to her could happen to you. Don’t humiliate us.”(5) This is seen as what she calls, “…a story to grow up on” (5).  The story leaves Kingston with curiosity and fixation about her aunt who was never spoken of; what really happened to her, and why she is never allowed to ask. Kingston recreates this story of her aunt deciding if it will bring her mind at peace or if it will haunt her.  She ends by writing “The Chinese are always very frightened of the drowned one, whose weeping ghost, wet hair hanging and skin bloated, waits silently by the water to pull down a substitute.” (16) This gives us the idea that her aunt is in fact haunting her and influences her way of thinking.

 

Questions to think about:

  1. Towards the end of the chapter, Kingston writes: “My aunt haunts me-her ghost drawn to me because now, after fifty years of neglect, I alone devote pages of paper to her, though not origamied into houses and clothes.” (16). Do you think Kingston’s curiosity of the disgrace her Aunt brought upon her family is a good thing? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think the Chinese cultural beliefs had an impact on the families’ perception of her Aunt’s actions? Why or why not?

 

25 thoughts on ““…it is as if she had never been born”: Kingston’s re-creation of a story about the unspoken wonders of the Aunt she’d never known.”

  1. Morgan,
    I thought you picked a really excellent portion of this section of the book to analyze carefully. I took the meaning of the “ghost” to be slightly different and more symbolic. I believe that the Aunt as a ghost is a representation of how the traditional views of China no longer exist for the narrator. On page 11, she states “I have tried to turn myself American-feminine,” conveying her assimilation into society resulting in the forgetting/ “dying” of traditional Chinese culture. In terms of the ghost haunting them I fell that this represents the values of old Chinese culture still trying to prevail through her parents pressuring her and lecturing about menstruation and scaring her with traditional stories. I think the curiosity about the disgrace that has happened to the family is a good thing in terms of how it adds to the quality of the writing. The old story provides a contrast in the lives of the family before versus the life of the narrator now. The curiosity stems from the fact that these are no longer the values that most have in America at the present point in the story.

  2. Morgan,
    I agree with you that one of the major themes of the chapter thus far is shamefulness. A couple quotes that can be used to help make this theme known is actually right at the beginning of the book. “You must not tell anyone, my mother said. what I am about to tell you. In China your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it us as if she had never been born.” (3). This whole paragraph at the beginning is stating right off the bat about shamefulness and how the family has a secret that they are guilty for.

  3. Morgan,
    I think you have a great analysis for this story, especially the part about Kingston questioning her aunt’s actions and the purpose for them. One quote that really stood out to me in this story was when Kingston states, “Carrying the baby to the well shows loving. Otherwise abandon it. Turn its face in the mud. Mothers who love their children take them along. It was probably a girl; there is some hope of forgiveness for boys.” (15). After reading this, I believe that her aunt felt a sense of love for her baby not only because she carried it with her and committed suicide, but because she knew that their family would want nothing to do with the it, making the child have no purpose in life, especially if it was a girl. On the other hand, if the baby was a boy, Kingston’s aunt would probably have left him in the pigsty, hoping that someone would find him and raise him.

  4. The traditional Chinese beliefs definitely affected the families perception of their aunt. If it wasn’t such a taboo to have a child out of wedlock, the “no name woman” wouldn’t have committed suicide in the first place. She was so ashamed that she took her own life, now many years later her family is still using her story to scare the younger children along the “right path.” If it wasn’t for the Chinese culture the family wouldn’t have shunned their aunt either, its sad enough that she took her life, pretending she was never born is very disturbing.

  5. In your first question, you ask about whether or not Kingston’s curiosity of the disgrace her Aunt brought upon her family is a good thing or not, which I think is a good question to think about, but it also makes me question if she truly is curious about it or not. To wrap up her story, Kingston states “In the twenty years since I heard this story I have not asked for details nor said my aunt’s name; I do not know it.” (16) This makes me wonder if whether or not she is curious, because she seems to not want to make any effort to learn any more to the story. It almost seems as though she can recognize the reasoning behind why her mother would tell her this story, but she is leaving it at that. I can’t imagine hearing a story as drastic as her aunt’s and not wanting to learn more background details, but that may just be me.

  6. Morgan,
    I made the same conclusion about the reading. It seems as though the speaker is trying to understand exactly what happened to her aunt. I believe that it is an American concept for her to question the credibility of her family’s betrayal of her aunt. When the speaker states, “Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil. I wonder whether he masked himself when he joined the raid on her family” (p. 6), she is going against the beliefs of her family. This is significant of her breaking away from Chinese ideals and embracing new Western ideals. She is critically thinking about her family’s heritage and questioning deep-seeded beliefs held by Chinese culture. I believe that this curiosity is a good thing because it is making her question what is right and embrace new American ideals. Additionally, I believe that the family’s reactions reflect Chinese cultural beliefs. As explained in this chapter, Chinese standards are strict and conservative. These strict values, which are usually applied to women and the way are viewed, are evident in the way the speaker’s family shunned her aunt.

  7. Morgan, I like how pointed out the way that Kingston’s mother talks to her in regards to the story. When she said to her “don’t humiliate us,”(Kingston 5) that shows the reader that her mother is ashamed of her brother’s sister.
    I do believe that Kingston’s curiosity about her aunt’s shame is a good thing because she can form her own opinion about the situation. Her mother tells her the story through the eyes of the family that was ashamed of her. “You must not tell anyone” (Kingston 2) her mother says to her right before she tells her the story of her aunt.
    I do believe that the Chinese culture at the time influenced the families perception on the aunt’s actions. Chinese culture is all about bringing honor to your families name. When one brings shame to their families, they are shunned and disowned because of the strong cultural belief in honor.
    As time has passed, our society has adapted a more accepting and progressive way of life. Although adultery is still a sinful act, it would not be culturally acceptable in the United States to torture or assault one for this act. Kingston published her book in 1974. Even though this was almost fifty years ago, torture was no longer an accepted way of punishment. Because Kingston grew up in a more socially accepting society, she may change her aunt’s reputation to future generations.

  8. Morgan,
    In the quote on page 3, Kingston explains how her mother feels about her aunt’s past situation, “You must not tell anyone, my mother said, what I am about to tell you. In China your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it us as if she had never been born.” Kingston’s family sees her aunt as a disgrace to the family, so much they tried to forget her existence. Especially because she drowned herself and the baby in the family well, not just a public one. Her mother saying you must not tell anyone is a reflection of her control over Kingston. The forced silence also imitates the fear of Kingston’s aunts’ story being known by the community. The embarrassment her aunt projected onto the family, has resulted in Kingston’s mother trying to scare her with a family story in order to prevent past stories from reoccuring. The warning is to remind Kingston that the family will shun her also if she follows in her aunt’s footsteps.

  9. Morgan,
    Personally, from my viewpoint as an entirely white American woman, I think that Kingston’s continued remembrance of her aunt is a positive thing. Kingston’s thoughts and the pages she’s written act as the moon cakes and burial offerings that her aunt was never given. In remembering her aunt’s story, Kingston is giving her aunt a legacy, something to be remembered by when even her own mother and father refuse to remember her name.
    To me, the treatment that the aunt received at the hands of the villagers and her family was entirely too harsh and very unfair. The villagers didn’t even attempt to seek out the father, didn’t ask the aunt what her story was or how she came to be pregnant. Instead, all the blame settled on her. For breaking tradition, for staining the family name, for being weak in the face of her own natural instincts. This inequality is highlighted especially when Kingston writes, “They expected her alone to keep to the traditional ways, which her brothers, now alone amongst the barbarians, could fumble without detection.” The extreme diffidence highlighted in this passage show how her aunt, unlike her brothers, was awarded no second chances, no do overs, no chance to freely act on ones own desires without social repercussion. And it’s for this, among other, reasons why the aunt deserves to be remembered. Even though she was granted no exceptions or compromises in life, in remembering her Kingston provides them to her in death.

  10. Morgan,
    I definitely think that Chinese traditions played a major roll in this story. If it weren’t for these specific traditions, I believe that the aunt would of never committed suicide with her newborn. If having a child out of wedlock wasn’t considered so taboo, maybe both mother and child could of lived. The shame brought upon by the aunt is so great in chines culture that it follows upon the whole family, “‘You must not tell anyone’, my mother said, ‘what I am about to tell you. In china, your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it us as if she had never been born.'” (3). I think Kingston’s curiosity about the disgrace her aunt brought upon the family is a good thing. It seems as though Kingston is trying to understand exactly what happened to her aunt. Instead of automatically blaming her aunt the the wrongdoings that occurred, she conjure up plausible explanations as to why what happened happened,“Some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil. I wonder whether he masked himself when he joined the raid on her family,” (6). This shows the breaking from the Chinese ideals as well.

  11. Although it may be highly frowned upon, I believe that Kingston’s curiosity is a good thing for a couple of reasons. One reason being that although uncommon in the US, this culture of not shaming the family may actually have a positive impact on those living in it in terms of school and work because no one wants to be the next to end up in a well. This may also impact different people negatively however as cited by Kingston, “If I want to learn what clothes my aunt wore, whether flashy or ordinary, I would have to begin, ‘Remember Father’s drowned-in-the-well sister?’ I cannot ask that (15).” This also answers your question regarding her family being influenced by Chinese culture to form negative opinions about Kingston’s aunt. This is also reinforced by Kingston’s mother stating “Don’t let your father know that I told (14),” which clearly shows that there is shame brought by Kingston’s aunt.

  12. Morgan,
    I think your analysis of the theme of Chinese traditions and the influence they have over people did a good job of highlighting the family’s struggles. For example, the aunt died in the well because of the overwhelming shame she felt for having a child born outside of wedlock. Shame is a repetitive topic in the first chapter. There is so much pressure for women to act appropriately and do what you are told. On page 5 the mother says, “Don’t humiliate us… The Chinese I know hide their names; sojourners take new names when their lives change and guard their real names with silence” (Kingston). This quote stood out to me because of the degree of seriousness the Chinese culture puts on shame. A family is not allowed to make a mistake, and if they do, extreme caution is taken and they even go far enough to change their names out of embarrassment. The Chinese also, “made wrongdoers eat alone” (Kingston 7). The use of an “outcast table” within the family expanded the actions a family will take to seem honorable. Many parts of the dialogue in chapter 1 allowed me to think about how different Chinese culture is from western societies.

  13. Morgan,
    Your thoughts on the text were thorough and thought provoking, when reading, I also noticed the quote from page 14, when her late aunt’s mother says “Aiaa, we’re going to die. Death is coming. Look what you’ve done. You’ve killed us. Ghost! Dead ghost! Ghost! You’ve never been born” (14) . Obviously this is a terrible thing to say to someone, but I found it very interesting how much these words meant to Aiaa, the weight that they carried. The opinions of others were so important to this family that two entire people have been completely removed from their history all because of the taboo’s associated with having a child out of wedlock. It also highlighted the value of women in Chinese society, for it is hinted in the text that the negativity of the situation is elevated due to the fact that the child was likely a girl. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all though is the fact that generations later, this lost aunt still haunts. Although it’s almost as she never existed, almost does not mean completely.

  14. Morgan, great discussion starter!
    This book is very heavy on the female traditional gender role already, even within the first sixteen pages. I also found the quote about having your period and not embarrassing the family to be very telling of the role that women will play in this book. I also want to include the blurb where Kingston writes “His demand must have surprised, then terrified her. She obeyed him; she always did as she was told.”(Kingston,6). This also stood out to be in relation to the other quote because they are both showing that sexuality for women is a double edged sword. The women are told that having sex and getting pregnant out of wedlock is shameful and embarrassing, but at the same time, if a man commands a woman to have sex with him, she has to obey him. There is no safe place for the women in this culture. And to answer your second question, I do think that Chinese culture had an effect on this families attitude toward the aunt, because of the fact that what she did is seen as such a taboo, the aunt and child both had to suffer, maybe in other cultures having a child out of wedlock would not have such extreme familial consequences.

  15. This section also stood out to me. I couldn’t believe how different the culture is from ours. The author was talking about how her aunt might have been raped and others must have come to the same conclusion but it didn’t make a difference to the villagers. The only thing that mattered to them was that she was pregnant with another man’s child. It’s very strange to think about how different one culture can be from another and I’m very interested to continue and see all the other difference. Very well written and thank you for your opinion.

  16. Morgan, I loved your post, you used a lot of excellent quotes to prove your point. A lot of them were quotes that I had highlighted as well! Kingston writes with such elegant prose, I wonder what her literary influences were. Cultural beliefs clearly had an impact here on what drove the villagers to commit the horrifying acts they did the night of the narrator’s aunt giving birth. They did it because “villagers, who depended on one another to maintain the real, went to my aunt to show her a personal, physical representation of the break she made in the “roundness.””(Kingston 12-13) I think it is a good thing the way Kingston is analyzing the story of the aunt’s disgrace, because she is examining the culture and how they deal with situations like this.

  17. I think Kingston’s curiosity of the disgrace of her aunt brought upon her family actually a good thing. It shows that Kingston is not just only going to take the information that her mother gives her about her father’s forgotten sister and not wonder what caused all of it. She is constantly challenging herself to figure out what could have been the reason her aunt to make the choices she made. Even by given the excuse that she was probably raped, and was told not to speak of who impregnated her. Also, Chinese culture beliefs does play a role on the families perception of her aunt’s actions. The fact that Kingston’s mother brought up the story of what happened to her aunt because she started menstruation just to warn her, shows how strict and demanding Chinese culture can be.

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