When reimagining herself as the woman warrior, Fa Mu Lan, Kingston creates a “talk-story” in which she is trained by an old couple to be a warrior who will avenge her village against an evil, greedy baron. When they first meet in her hut on the mountain, the old man and woman enter “carrying bowls of rice and soup and a leafy branch of peaches.” Later, they lead Kingston / Fa Mu Lan in exercises that “began at dawn and ended at sunset.” They also lead Kingston / Fa Mu Lan in a survival test and teach her how to stalk tigers and know dragons. Kingston / Fa Mu Lan remains with them for fifteen years, until the age of twenty-two, which is when she becomes a general and fights for her village.
Old Man and Old Woman Quotes in The Woman Warrior
The The Woman Warrior quotes below are all either spoken by Old Man and Old Woman or refer to Old Man and Old Woman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
1. No Name Woman
Quotes
They expected her alone to keep the traditional ways, which her brothers, now among the barbarians, could fumble without detection. The heavy, deep-rooted women were to maintain the past against the flood, safe for returning. But the rare urge west had fixed upon our family, and so my aunt crossed boundaries not delineated in space.
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Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Old Man and Old Woman Quotes in The Woman Warrior
The The Woman Warrior quotes below are all either spoken by Old Man and Old Woman or refer to Old Man and Old Woman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
1. No Name Woman
Quotes
They expected her alone to keep the traditional ways, which her brothers, now among the barbarians, could fumble without detection. The heavy, deep-rooted women were to maintain the past against the flood, safe for returning. But the rare urge west had fixed upon our family, and so my aunt crossed boundaries not delineated in space.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
