Comparative Analysis Essay
Introduction
Essentially, ‘No Name Woman’ is the first chapter of Maxine Hong Kingston’s book titled ‘The Woman Warrior.’ The imaginative fiction addresses the author’s experience of growing up as a Chinese American. Hence, the narrator relates how Chinese culture continues to influence their family life while in the US and the identity crisis confronting all the immigrants and everyone else living within a multicultural society (Kingston 238). ‘Shooting an Elephant’ is a Canadian writer’s memoir that describes an English narrator’s experience, perhaps Orwell himself, when he was ordered to shoot an elephant while working as a police officer in Burma (Orwell 309). Since the villagers pressurize him to kill the animal, he obeys their command, although it is against his conscience. Hence, the elephant’s slow and painful death heightens his anguish. Assertively, Maxine Hong Kingston’s ‘No Name Woman’ and ‘Shooting an Elephant’ by George Orwell are two innovative autobiographies that portray the relationship between an individual and society or multiple societies and explores problems immigrants encounter interacting or living within a multicultural society.
Comparison
Identity Crisis
In both essays, the two narrators suffer from a conflicting identity crisis. Throughout the chapter, the author narrates her experience of growing as an immigrant. Her parents are determined to continue observing the Chinese tradition despite moving to a new country. Besides, they wish to pass the belief system to their daughter. For example, her mother gives her information concerning various Chinese norms and the consequences that befell anyone who failed to adhere to societal expectations (Kingston 238). She narrates the story of an author’s aunt who experienced villagers’ wrath when they realized that her pregnancy was out of wedlock. During the night the baby was born, they invaded her homestead and burned the house. Eventually, she drowned herself and her infant by jumping in the well. Therefore, growing up in a multicultural environment, the author finds herself in an identity crisis. She is torn between two different beliefs, norms, and languages, regularly feeling unfamiliar to both. Hence, acquiring Chinese values through her mother’s memories and tales, while getting a first-hand encounter of residing in America as an immigrant, Kingston ends up in a confused state whereby she seems displaced by both cultures.
Similarly, Orwell, born in India but brought up in Britain, finds himself in an identity crisis when the society compels him to kill an elephant that had killed a coolie (Orwell 311). However, the act was not only against his will but contrary to his religious and cultural norms. For centuries, elephants have constituted a significant part of Burmese society. The locals often employ the animals to haul logs and timber. Besides, the rare and revered white elephants were symbols of purity and power in the Buddhist culture. Therefore, Orwell is confused and becomes torn between his sentiments towards the British colonialists and the Burmese people’s dislike towards him. Hence, as a ruling power officer, he does what the natives expect of him even though it compromises his moral and societal values. His official role symbolizes oppressive imperial power, although his sympathy lies with the Burmese. Indeed, the narrator does not wish to shoot the elephant but acts upon the crowd’s expectations. Besides, he realizes that imposing strict laws to shoot the elephant exhibit an inherent hegemony problem. By enforcing the harsh British rules, Orwell discovers that he is forfeiting his freedom while oppressing the Burmese. Indeed, the narrator wonders whether the young Buddhist priests will even understand his motive for killing the animal that acted upon provocation and wishes to reclaim his identity.
Immigration
The two works reveal how immigrants encounter various social problems, including culture clash and racial bias. Although immigration often results in culture expansion, sometimes it causes conflicting situations emanating from people having different cultural values within a society. Like most ethnic and multicultural autobiographical narratives, prejudice and racism also occupy both essays’ pivotal role. For instance, in ‘No Name Woman,’ Kingston provides a personal chronicle of growing up in the US as a Chinese immigrant. She experiences a culture clash as she grows up as a Chinese girl in America (Kingston 246). The differences between the two distinct ways of life make her struggle with the competing claims leaving her in a state of confusion. As a Chinese daughter, she encounters male chauvinism at home and learns she f the challenges of growing up as a Chinese woman. At the same time, her racial variation exposes her to racism in the American Society. The two-contradictory social extremities portray challenges of living in a cross-cultural society that gradually transforms into a painful experience for being unable to flow between the cultures. Ideally, cultural differences have a significant impression on the narrator’s life. Therefore, she faces challenges balancing the social customs while dealing with more severe issues such as attitude, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and religious diversity that are vastly different in the new society.
Ideally, Orwell was born in India but grew up in Britain. Hence as an immigrant, he equally encountered challenges in the new society. As for racism, there is no doubt that the Burmese people profoundly dislike the narrator (Orwell 309). He also views them as monolithic evil-spirited little beasts. However, to a significant extent, he believes that the British made them that way. Besides, the narrator exhibits his displeasure with the imperial colonial rule that contradicts his moral values. ‘For all that time I had already made up my mind that imperialism was an evil thing.’ (Orwell 309). According to him, imperialism was a state of mind fueled by superiority arrogance, making the British colonial rule oppress the Burmese. Although he spent his life trying to impress the natives, he was all for the Burmese and was against their oppressors. However, immigration resulted in a severe culture clash and somewhat compromised his beliefs and traditions. For instance, it was morally wrong to kill an elephant in his culture, but the police officer’s role permitted such acts. Besides, racial bias is evident in these two societies. The British culture had a sense of superiority that made the individuals exhibit hostility to them from themselves in the community. Although Orwell encounters a compromising situation that oppresses the Burmese to please the colonialists, he would later act differently.
Death
Besides, there is a significant similarity between Kingston’s aunt bringing the baby into the well with her when she committed suicide and killing the elephant in Orwell’s narrative. Both Kingston’s aunt and the elephant committed grievous mistakes that were against the societal norms. The elephant trampled and killed an Indian, and the narrator sends an order to bring the animal a rifle to shoot it. Although the elephant seems peaceful, he gives in to the crowd’s demand for the killing to happen. Later after analyzing the elephant’s behavior and learning that the poor animal acted out of provocation, he delays his judgment for some time. Still, he shoots it severally, leaving it to suffer. While his older colleagues agree he made the best decision, the younger ones, especially the priests, held killing the elephant was unworthy.
In ‘No Name Woman,’ the narrator discovers that she once had an aunt who committed suicide by drowning herself into a well with her baby. Her husband had left for another nation several years before. Therefore, the villagers realized that the newborn was illegitimate. After the child’s birth, they raided and destroyed the house (Kingston 238). Hence, the next morning Kingston’s mother found her and the child inside the well. Unfortunately, her relatives decided to pretend that she never existed because they considered a disgrace in society. The story serves as a cautionary tale for her daughter to be careful lest the same fate befalls her. Hence, such traditions ensured community stability. The reason is that any sexual passion was likely to result in adultery or incest, threatening the social order. Therefore, the two incidences and deaths are symbolic. Indeed, they signified that the societies had little room for mistakes, and going against the societal norms could result in death. Hence, parents narrated such incidences to their children to avoid similar errors, even in a society that offered a second chance.
Contrast
Power
Despite the similarities, there exist some notable differences between the two narratives. The power between the two societies functions differently. In ‘No Name Woman,’ the female power has no position in Chinese Culture. At the beginning of the chapter, Kingston’s mother warns her daughter to remain silent about the story she was about to narrate to her. Besides, the story depicts Kingston’s aunt as a powerless human to the extent of having no name or the right to existence. As a woman, she had no power to give birth to any child. Hence, the village considers the baby born out of the unwanted pregnancy as an annoyance and real security the threat and could not live in such a society (Kingston 239). Precisely, the adultery and the mistakes brought disturbances to the Chinese tradition. Hence, acting against societal norms resulted in severe punishment, primarily because of private life, a secret, and alienating other community members.
On the other hand, women seem to enjoy a meaningful sense of freedom in British society. Unlike Chinese women whom the community expected to remain silent, females in the British rule could decide (Kingston 238). For example, in ‘Shooting an Elephant,’ the narrator finds a woman chasing children who were gazing at a black Indian Coolie’s corpse whom the elephant had trodden and killed. Besides, the crowd consisting of males and females demanded that the narrator must kill the animal. The scenario implies that women occupied a pivotal role in society and could act in various situations like their male counterparts.
Message
The central theme in ‘No Name Woman’ by Kingston is women’s position in the traditional Chinese society and the challenges of growing in a multicultural society, more so as a Chinese-American. The narrator reveals various problems that immigrants often encounter, including racial prejudice and confusion. Ideally, balancing and reconciling the two extremist culture can pose a significant challenge due to multiple positions emanating from the diverse beliefs and practices. Orwell’s central message is to express his dislike of imperialism. The narrator perceives the British ruling system as evil and oppressive.
Conclusion
Indeed, Maxine Hong Kingston’s ‘No Name Woman’ and ‘Shooting an Elephant’ by George Orwell are two creative memoirs that show the relationship between an individual and society or multiple societies. The two autobiographic works exhibit a significant similarity, especially concerning some of the challenges immigrants often experience while living in a foreign culture. However, the narratives differ in power functions, and the main messages that both authors intend to deliver. While Kingston explores women’s place in the Chinese culture and the challenges of growing up in American society as an immigrant, George Orwell addresses imperialism that results in the oppressive rule.
Works Cited
Kingston, M. H. No Name Woman. Everyman’s Library Classics &, 2005.
Orwell, George. Shooting an Elephant. New Canadian Library, 2016.