A
narrative is generally in verse or in prose. But within
this, there can be an implicit literary narrative -
the myth. Maxine Hong Kingston, living in multicultural
America, makes use of the myth of the woman warrior
to reveal her changing consciousness. Myths originated
far back in the culture of oral societies. They moved
from a silent existence to an oral form, and later to
a written form to avoid erasure. Kingston's attitudes
crystallize as a part of growth and maturation. A pointer
to this is her use of the woman warrior myth. This is
an archetype, and a verbal and visual sign. The woman
warrior, Kingston, has become a word warrior, advocating
peace. In The Fifth Book of Peace, she rewrites
herself as a peace activist. It records her growth and
individuation. She preserves her ethnicity using a Chinese
myth as a tool to facilitate a new bicultural identity.
This myth is re-modelled and repositioned. Kingston
becomes a pacifist, advocating a global human community
through artistic means. Myth is a language and a narrative
which communicates very effectively. Through the narrative
of the myth, Kingston consciously implies that nationality
can transcend boundaries. Her cultural hybridity results
in a plural consciousness, making her advocate one nation.
The
warrior woman, Kingston, in The Fifth Book of Peace
(2004), advocates through a Chinese myth narrative,
how globalization and hybridity alter one's perspective.
It must be understood that at a time when globalization
implies standardization, preserving ethnicity is an
inherent act of resisting globalization. Not being accepted
in America as an American, yet labeling herself as a
Chinese American, Kingston preserves her Chinese ethos,
simultaneously advocating peace through it. Through
artistic and pacifist means, she advocates a global
human community. She explores the conscience of the
world of the after-effects of war, all the same, consciously
implying that nationality can transcend boundaries.
In
the domain of narratives, there are myths, and myths
themselves are narratives. According to A Dictionary
of Literary Terms, a narrative is "a story,
tale or recital of facts. ... To create a narrative,
or narrate a story is therefore to recount, and establish
some connection between a series of events" (Gray,
1984, p. 133). And this is what a myth does. It narrates
a series of events through verbal and visual signs.
The woman warrior myth is reworked to transcend its
local moorings. It is a liberation story. Kingston gives
this myth a context-transcending cutting edge. |
