『여인무사』에 나타난 중국계 미국여성의 성장

Abstract

Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior presents the process of growing up as a Chinese American woman. The second-generation Chinese American narrator born in the U.S. initially feels confused not only because she experiences Chinese culture second hand, through her mother's interesting yet confusing talk-story, but because American culture marginalizes her Chinese ethnicity. The narrator rewrites Chinese women's stories in order to deal with the confusion and make sense of her Chinese American female identity. For the narrator, stories of Fa Mu Lan and Brave Orchid are filled with contradictions; they are strong women and yet they end up succumbing to patriarchal Chinese culture. No Name Woman and Moon Orchid are victimized by patriarchy. Giving voice to their lives and breaking silence, the narrator finds her own voice. In addition, recreating Ts’ai Yen’s story, the narrator realizes the power of a woman's voice, which travels across cultures and peoples, blurring the boundary between China and America, past and present, and you and I. Building upon her mother's confusing stories, the narrator finds a possibility to transform her in-between position into a blessing.