Reaction to "The Woman Warrior"

              This text reminded me a lot of a novel I once read in the past, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I guess this is because of its similar themes and discussion of old Chinese traditions and their blending into American lifestyle. All occurrences in both novels were parallel, if not the same.

            The biggest similarity I saw between the text and Amy Tan’s novel was the inferiority of women in society. If a Chinese family in those times bore a daughter, it would be more of a curse than a blessing. Girls were considered useless property, worse off than geese. They were treated as something one would only take care of for the benefit of the family she would marry into someday.

            In the persona’s youth, growing up in America was difficult, especially with the Chinese culture her parents lived by. This greatly affected her relationship with her mother when she would feel unloved by her parent. All her accomplishments were never good enough. She was always compared to someone greater. She was called a “bad” girl, and she believed that the only way she would be considered good was if she was a boy. Also, the discrimination she encountered worsened her already damaged view of herself. Not only was she subject to her mother’s condemnation, she was exposed to others’ disapproval of her as well, not because of who she is inside but because of what gender and race she was.

            If I lived in these circumstances, I would have no self-esteem whatsoever. Constantly feeling inferior would only make me want to accomplish less for myself. It would be as if I would not be deserving of anything good in life. I find myself lucky to live in a society where men and women of all races are treated equally. I find the persona in the text to be a strong woman for undergoing and surviving all the judgment and challenges. She is, in fact, a woman warrior herself.