Keeping Chinese Tradition

In Maxine Hong Kingston's novel Woman Warrior, Brave Orchid as an immigrant to American works to maintain her Chinese background. She makes sure she does the same little traditions as she did in China such as warding off spirits and keeping the same work ethic. She even forces these Chinese traditions on the Americans. Her own children who are American and wanting to embrace American culture have to deal with their mother's desire for the Chinese. She gets upset with them because there hair is not combed to perfection and they do not dress to Chinese standard. She does not teach them English and does not know the language herself, causing the narrator to fail Kindergarten. She comments that her children will "never learn to work" and that no one would want to marry them because of their nontraditional ways (121). She comments throughout the novel of her children being impolite and noisy, which is more of an American way. She even tries to force her own culture on the Americans in her society. She forces her children to make the store clerk at the pharmacy give them free candy because that is what the clerk does in China. She wants all of the “ghosts” in America to have a better work ethic like she does at the laundry.

                When Moon Orchid is introduced, she contradicts this idea of the Chinese ways. Moon orchid does not have the same work ethic or strong mentality as Brave Orchid. She stands up for the children when Brave Orchid criticizes their American dress and she accepts them for “wild animals that they were” (134). She wants to accept her Chinese- American nieces and nephews for who they are in their American culture.

                She struggles to enforce these Chinese ideals onto her children who just want to be integrated into the American culture. Surprisingly the store clerk goes along with the free candy tradition though. The novel gives us the impression that Brave Orchid just thinks negatively of the American ways. Not that she is too stubborn or incapable of integrating into American society, just that it is a class drop for her. She does not agree with the American way of work or social presentation so she just tries to maintain her Chinese traditional ways and insist them upon her children as well.