The Woman Warrior Historical Context

The Woman Warrior Historical Context

Women in Chinese Society

Kingston takes revenge on centuries of Chinese female oppression in The Woman Warrior. Additionally, she comes to terms with her family and their place in American society. Through her "talk stories" about herself and her female relatives, Kingston paints a picture of Chinese tradition that portrays women as objects controlled by men and used as slaves. From the days of Confucius, and reaching into the early twentieth century, the Chinese placed family above social order, and men above women. When people married, new family ties formed, and new wives became particularly subservient to their grooms' parents. Women from the higher classes lived extremely secluded lives and suffered such treatments as foot-binding. The Chinese chose young girls who were especially pretty to undergo foot-binding to keep their feet as small as possible. The binder bent the large toe backward, forever deforming the foot. Men favored women with bound feet, a sign...
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