The Woman Warrior: Opposing and Destructive Binaries of Identity Selena R Barron College

There are few identities that fit neatly within conventional, binary systems of thought. Binary oppositions that exist within the spheres of race and gender are exclusive of individuals who occupy intersections of these identities. In The Woman Warrior Kingston’s goal is not to write off these binary oppositions, but to demonstrate that the narrative of a Chinese American woman does not and cannot fit within them. In this way, Kingston must oppose binary systems of thought in order to properly relay a specific narrative: one that is typically excluded and misrepresented.

In “White Tigers” Kinston retells the historical story of Fa Mu Lan in order to establish representation where representation cannot be found. In the original tale, Fa Mu Lan fights to defend her country, but in Kingston’s imagined version, she fights against a corrupt emperor. This narrative decision destabilizes the divide between fiction and non-fiction, but not simply for theatrical purposes. At the end of “White Tigers” Kingston writes, “My parents had bought their coffins. They would sacrifice a pig to the gods that I had returned. From the words on my back, and how they were fulfilled, the villagers would make a legend about my perfect filiality. My...