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Derek Cook
HCOM 211
10-18-15
Essay 1
Ghosts

In the book, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, by Maxine
Hong Kingston, the use of ghosts throughout the story functions as a way for Kingston to
discern what is real, and what is imagined in her mothers talk stories. The book often references
foreigners and non-Chinese people as ghosts. This is not to be confused with the several real
ghosts mentioned throughout the book. These Ghosts as stated by the title Memoirs of a
Girlhood among Ghosts haunt Kingston. At times it appears Kingston also sees herself as a
ghost, as she struggles to find if she belongs completely in Chinese or American Culture. The
presence of ghosts is most prevalent in Chapter 3: Shaman, where Brave Orchid confronts her
first ghost, Moon Orchids paranoia in Chapter 4: At the Western Palace, and lastly the death of
an outcast family member in Chapter 1: No name Woman.
Chapter 3: Shaman is an excellent representation of Kingston discerning whats real and
whats imagined through the use of ghosts. This chapter opens with Kingston discovering items
from her mothers past, and that she had been hiding details of a previous son and daughter that
passed away. Kingstons father would support her mother and the kids from America by sending
money on occasion, but after the childrens death, she had less expenses which allowed her to
attended To Keung School of Midwifery. Although older than most students, Kingstons mother
was renowned as one of the brightest on campus because of her natural smarts. At this point we

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discover a powerful ghost, Sitting Ghost, or Boulder. Kingstons mother encounters Boulder
when her class mates are afraid of the ghost that comes out at midnight. She tells them that she is
3she calls the sitting ghost on her chest holding her down rendering her unable to move. She
tells the ghost Only one of us will last the night and inevitably survives the night with the
ghost fading away with the morning. This ghost can be represented as the many pressures
Kingstons mother had weighing on her. This could be the result of taking on the burden of the
death of her two children alone while her husband is in America, as well as the fact she Chinese
woman attempting to make a life for herself in a culture where men are considered superior. This
Ghost can possibly also be Kingstons imaginations representation of the guilt she feels weighing
on her mother for denying ever having children before her. As a result of Kingstons mother
defeating the ghost we discover her name is Brave Orchid. Although renowned and praised at the
school, Brave Orchid returns home to be revered as a midwife and Shaman.
The theme of non-Chinese and foreigners being seen as ghost is prevalent in chapter 4: At
the western Palace. Moon Orchid, Brave Orchids sister, comes to America for a visit after being
apart for 30 years. Moon Orchids visit begins pleasantly as she showers her family with gifts and
rock candy so The beginning of their time will be sweet. As the visit progresses, the question
of why Moon Orchid hasnt visited her husband arises. We soon discover that the husband has
re-married and has a family of three children. Outraged, Brave Orchid demands she stand up to
him and demand her spot in his life. This eventually leads them to take a trip to LA and confront
the husband face to face. When they arrive at the hospital Moon Orchids husband works at they
must fake a dramatic injury to get him him to come out. When he sees Moon Orchid, he tells her
she Wasnt supposed to come here and that She cant belong. Devastated, Moon Orchid goes
to live at her daughter in LA. After not hearing from her sister for months, Brave Orchid calls to

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check on her only discover that she has gone into a state of hysteria. Moon Orchids daughter
informs her that mother believes shes being watched and that the Mexican Ghosts are out to
get her. These Mexican ghosts are an obvious representation of the Hispanic population in LA.
The reason they are described as ghost is to emphasize Moon Orchids fear of being the Capital
O other. Moon Orchids paranoia was brought about after hearing her husband telling her She
cant belong. She realizes that she has nobody in a country she feels she doesnt belong in. As
the Moon Orchids hysteria worsens, her family agrees to admit her to an insane asylum. When
Brave Orchid visits her sister in the asylum, she she is pleased to her that Moon Orchid is happy
there, and that she enjoys being around people who think the same as her. This feeling of security
is brought about when she realizes she is no longer the Other, and her ghosts fade away.
Lastly, the ostracized aunt from Chapter 1: No name Woman is the most power full
ghost in The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts. The no name woman is
never identified as a ghost, yet it haunts Kingston throughout the book. The chapter begins with
Kingstons mother saying You must not tell anyone, as she tells the story of her aunt who
killed herself. The story goes that the aunt became an outcast after she presumably had an affair
with another man. The village rose against her and destroyed her home in the night. The next
morning, the no name woman was found dead with her baby inside the family well. This
plugging up of the family well can be viewed as a ghost, haunting Kingston and her whole
family throughout the generations. Kingston as well as her mother and Moon Orchid all
experienced the feeling of being the Other. Through the book you can see the girls going
through the same hardships as the Aunt. Perhaps every mention of a ghost was actually the No
Name Woman haunting them all.

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The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, by Maxine Hong
Kingston is a powerful piece of literature. You could read this book one hundred times and find a
different meaning behind it every time. The view of the ghosts stood out because they are
mentioned in every chapter, and tie together in some way. From Brave Orchid fighting her ghosts
in Chaper 3: Shaman, to Moon Orchid hiding from her ghosts in Chapter 4: At the Western
Palace. They all connect to the beginning when the No Named Woman tainted the family well.

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Work Cited
Imagining-Ourselves-Narrative-Stance-in-Memoir.pdf
Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts. New
York: Knopf, 1976. Print.
Keb, Lauter. The Ghosts - Notes from a Field Study. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.