2. 1. How does the warrior woman change after she gives
birth? Why?
2. Why does Kingston say, "My American life has been
such a disappointment"?
3. Consider the importance of language in this section.
For example, analyze the act the warrior woman's
parents perform
4. on her back, the "Chinese word for the female I," and
the last paragraph of the section. "Night after night
my mother would talk-story until we fell asleep,"
Kingston writes. "I couldn't tell where the stories left
and the dreams began, her voice the voice of the
heroines in my sleep" (19). What is the significance of
this passage in relation to the novel itself?

3. 5. Why do you suppose the notion of the woman
warrior figures so prominently in Kingston's
imagination? How does the woman warrior develop?
What does she learn to do?
6. Kingston writes: "Unlike tigers, dragons are so
immense, I would never see one in its entirety" (28).
How might this statement serve as a metaphor for
something larger or more significant than dragons?
7. What are some of the physical and mental ordeals
that Fa Mu Lan must undergo, and what do you
think is their significance? What do you think is the
symbolism of Fa Mu Lan’s story

4. 8. How does Maxine’s life in America compare to Fa
Mu Lan’s story? What does Maxine learn from the
story of Fa Mu Lan? How does this relate to No
Name Woman’s story?
9. What is the significance of the passage from
“White Tigers” about the “two people made of
gold dancing the earth’s dances” ( 27)?
10. How do you interpret the passage in “White
Tigers” about the ages of the swordswoman’s two
mentors (28)?

5. 1. At the end of “White Tigers,” the Chinese-American narrator states
that “The swordswoman and I are not so dissimilar” ( 53). In what
ways are they similar and dissimilar?
2. This might lead to a consideration of the book’s title: what are the
meanings of the warrior woman? Fa Mu Lan is a well-known
figure in Chinese legend, but she is only one of many women in
the book. How can Fa Mu Lan assist us in understanding
Kingston’s view of women and their roles? Does this female figure
out of Chinese folklore illuminate the American experience of
Kingston and her family?
3. The sub-title also identifies The Woman Warrior as a memoir.
However, only a relatively small portion of the text provides
conventional sorts of autobiographical information—something
we discussed in class on Monday. Weaving together old tales with
contemporary experience, Chinese myths and American popular
culture, the book dissolves the line between fiction and non-
fiction. This raises the question of genre: what kind of book is this?
What gains (or perhaps losses) follow from Kingston’s narrative
method?

6. 4. What does the chapter title, “White Tigers,” refer
to? What significance does this chapter have
regarding Kingston’s memories of her childhood?
5. Why does the woman warrior change after she
gives birth? What does her character say about the
role of women in Chinese society? What are some
other ex- amples in the book of how women are
regarded in China? Compare them to how
Chinese-American women are portrayed.
6. Why does Kingston decide she “would have to
grow up a warrior woman”?
7. How does Fa Mu Lan lead her men? How do they
regard her?
8. How is Kingston’s remaining family in China
doing?
9. How do she and her family try to help them?

7. 10. What would “talk story” be equivalent to in
American tradition? Point out similarities
and/or differences.
11. Relate the story of Fa Mu Lan. Place emphasis
on the dream-like description of the setting.
12. What was the significance of the gourd? When
was it used and why?
13. When was the warrior’s level of tolerance for
pain severely tested and why?
14. How did the warrior meet her husband?

8. 15. What was the outcome of the woman warrior?
16. Is there any American or English tale that
comes to mind which parallels the woman
warrior?
17. How have childhood experiences affected the
adult life of the speaker?
18. What has the speaker learned from fairy tales?
Cite specific examples from the text.
19. Discuss the speaker’s view towards
communism?