Maxine Hong Kingston allows herself to present the reader what elements of what is learned and of how it is learned through her matrilineal society. She aligns herself matrilineally with her female ancestors and heritage. Struggles between her America ...

Maxine Hong Kingston allows herself to present the reader what elements of what is learned and of how it is learned through her matrilineal society. She aligns herself matrilineally with her female ancestors and heritage. Struggles between her American self and the Chinese heritage her mother speaks of become her means for fiding self-definition. She learns through her mother's talk-series; through her mother as example; and through her aunts' experiences. What she learns is that she is not a part of the culture that her mother comes from. The same rules do not apply to her reality. Through the transmission of stories of a remote heritage, her mother teaches Maxine strength and a sense of self. A big part of Kingston's sense of self as an American-born Asian, is to turn away from the rules and dictums of the ancient patriarchal society against which her mother, in her stories, fought. Just as her mother garnered strength in opposing that patriarchy, so too must Maxine find strength in opposing that which would oppress her: both the ghosts of her Chinese heritage and the mysterious ghosts of her American patriarchal reality. In a sense, the emerging identity of Maxine is one which is "other" than her mother and is "other" than Anglo-American. However, it is through her mother's contributions and presence that Maxine is able to identify and isolate just exactly what her particular identity is.