Stories and narratives are ubiquitous in both Chinese and American cultures. These stories are often used as warnings or to teach a lesson to those who cannot or have not experienced something firsthand. The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston is a patchwork of narratives that the protagonist and her family experience and tell. These “conversation stories” often tell one or the other extreme: of women who are cultured and cultured leaders, or of women who mask their female identity and/or allow their lives to be dictated by their husbands. Maxine's personal identity is often clouded by these constant stories, and they continually influence how she interprets reality. Through these stories that Maxine's mother tells her, her mother intends to teach her that as a woman, especially as a Chinese woman, she must be silent and submissive. However, after all these stories, Maxine slowly finds her voice and begins to create her own stories. He imagines multiple scenarios and endings for the numerous characters he encounters, and ultimately, imagines different outcomes for his life. In this novel, Maxine's life is engulfed in stories and legends that are meant to limit her as a woman. However, these very stories are what allow her to ultimately not only control her own destiny, but also realize that she doesn't have to fit just one mold. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Maxine's mother tells her about her aunt, the "Woman with No Name," to illustrate how women are targeted and silenced in China and how Maxine must hold back to avoid the persecution her aunt faced . As a result, Maxine recognizes the difficulties she will face for things over which she has no control. His aunt became pregnant at a difficult time, when it is very likely that "some man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil." (6). In ancient China, women had little say in life and if a man asked a woman to do something, she had no choice but to do what he said. Maxine also imagines how “the other man was not, all things considered, very different from her husband. They both gave orders, she followed them. “If you tell your family, I'll beat you. I'll kill you. I'll be here next week." No one ever talked about sex” (6). Maxine is aware of his silence, especially when it comes to sex and sexual violence and, consequently, of his lack of power and control over the situation. His mother tells her this story as a warning, reminding her that if she is promiscuous or simply cannot hold her tongue, she will be punished severely. Mother reminds her before she even begins to tell the story, initially emphasizing: “You must not tell anyone [. ..] what I'm about to tell you” (4). Ironically, the story of a silenced woman must also be kept hidden. Although there is no evidence that Maxine disobeyed her mother's orders to never speak of this story, she definitely thinks a lot about her aunt's possible reason for making a seemingly huge mistake. Her imagination allows her to empathize with her aunt, realizing that her aunt probably wasn't in control of the situation. This story is meant to scare Maxine and force her to become obedient and silent, however, Maxine realizes that the mother probably killed her son to protect him from society's boundaries, but she is still not confident enough in her abilities to cross boundaries of those. social norms. In "White Tigers", Maxine is taught that awoman can be much more than a wife or slave and uses Fa Mu Lan as a role model in her American life. Even though her mother tells her that “there is no profit in raising girls. Better to raise girls than geese [...]'When you raise girls, you raise children for strangers'”, Maxine begins to realize that she too has value and can be a strong warrior like Fa Mu Lan (46). She uses the story to stand up to her racist boss, and even if she gets fired, she recognizes that “there is work to be done, ground to be covered. Surely, the eighty pole fighters, even if invisible, would follow me, guide me and protect me, as is the custom of the ancestors” (49). She draws strength from the story of the heroic Fa Mu Lan to fight her battles instead of being trampled on as she was taught in "No Name Woman". Maxine realizes that while she doesn't have physical weapons to crush obstacles like her racist bosses, she does have her words. Note: “The swordswoman and I aren't that different. What we have in common are the words behind us. The denunciation is revenge: not beheading, not disembowelment, but words” (53). Fa Mu Lan teaches her that she is also capable of fighting back and can use her words to fight like a swordswoman and take back what is hers. She strengthens herself by creating a story for herself similar to Fa Mu Lan's that includes her as a heroine, not just a silent woman. Through Moon Orchid's story in "At the Western Palace", Maxine sees not only how a woman can be powerful and more than just a wife or slave, but also that Moon Orchid goes mad due to her inability to communicate. When Moon Orchid arrives at her husband's workplace, he simply tells her, “It's a mistake for you to be here. You can't belong. You don't have the toughness needed for this country[...]You can't talk to [my guests]. You can barely talk to me” (152-153). Moon Orchid is told that she isn't American enough to belong in the life her husband is living, similar to how Maxine is told that she doesn't fit into either culture. Her husband tells her that she cannot live with them due to her speechlessness. Moon Orchid eventually goes insane in her crowded new home of Los Angeles, eventually ending up in a California mental asylum before dying. This story shows Maxine that she could end up like her aunt if she keeps silent. He also learns that he must vary his personal narratives when Brave Orchid says, “The difference between crazy people and sane people is that sane people have variety when they tell stories. Crazy people only have one story that they talk about all the time” (159). To achieve fulfillment, Maxine realizes that “variety” is a must and must avoid telling a single story about herself, especially that she is and will continue to be a quiet, submissive Chinese girl. Maxine discovers that it is imperative to find her voice and tell her many personal stories to avoid being driven to madness by the norms of not only her mother, but also society. “A Song for a Barbarian Reed Pipe” is Maxine's most empowering story, as she relates to the poet Ts'ai Yen and realizes that she can also adapt to the cultures of both America and China, rather than being a “typical ” quiet Chinese girl in America. Maxine has struggled her entire life to combine the cultures of America and China, feeling too Chinese for American school but at the same time too American for Chinese school. She grapples with silence and her journey to find her voice. In the end, she resists her mother's abuse, shouting: “They tell me I'm smart[...]Even if I'm stupid and talk strangely and get sick, I won't let you turn me into a slave or a wife. I'm leaving here” (201). Maxine challenges the constraints that her mother used to.