Freudian Analysis Of Kingston In The Woman Warrior

Maxine Kingston is one of the outstanding female Chinese American writers in contemporary American Literature. Her representative work, The Woman Warrior: Memories of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, is lauded by the literary establishment as a milestone in Chinese American history. The Woman Warrior depicts a Chinese American girl Maxine's experiences growing up in America. It vividly reflects her struggle living in"between worlds"and her inner thoughts during the process of establishing her identity as Chinese American.This thesis focuses on Kingston's psychological state and the three structures of mind proposed by Sigmund Freud一the id, ego and superego一theory of human personality. Kingston's growth has experienced from self-occlusion to openness, from separation to integration and from mutual disregard to identity.According to Freud, human personality is made up of id, ego and super-ego. Human shows different personalities, life styles and values in various circumstances. Driven by the pleasure principle, id seeks for instant satisfaction of instinct and desire. Guided by the morality principle, super-ego sublimates and consummates human nature and social relations. Influenced by the reality principle, ego struggles among id, super-ego and reality.The thesis is divided into three chapters. The first chapter is Kingston's id—Kingston's pursuit of freedom and rights. Having suffered from gender discrimination in Chinatown and racial discrimination in the American society, Kingston's id follows the pleasure principle and tries to get rid of the feelings of pain. Like a woman warrior, she pursues freedom and rights bravely. The second chapter is ego—trials and obstacles met in reality during the process when Kingston realizes her ego. In reality, she is bothered by the two identities and lingers between the American culture and Chinese culture. Kingston's mother, Brave Orchid, as a representative of the traditional Chinese women, educates her Chinese culture through talk-stories, which is quite different from the American culture that she accepts at American school. Under the misunderstanding, the estrangement and conflicts arise between mother and daughter. The third chapter is superego—Kingston's compromise and reconciliation. The superego is the higher lever of id and it is the ideal target. From her struggle and wander, she realizes her ideal is to be a word-warrior like Ts'ai Yen. She wants to bridge the gap between the communication of American culture and Chinese culture and build a harmonious world. Finally, Kingston establishes her identity—Chinese American.