In the late 19th and early 20th century, many men emigrated from
China to the United States to earn a larger wage. However, American laws, such
as the Exclusion Act, kept Chinese women from entering the United States to
accompany their husbands, excluding them from this opportunity for a new life
in the land of the free. Because of this, men were able to move to the United
States and have a lover or second wife on the side. In the novel Water
Ghosts, the author transitions from this historical narrative about Chinese
emigration to a haunting story about Chinese tradition and culture.
Traditional Chinese water ghost stories involve spirits trapped in
a body of water. The spirit must drown their human substitute in order to
achieve reincarnation. In this story, three women exited a boat, trafficked by
smugglers from China. During their journey to the United States they had become water ghosts, and
were now wandering in search of the key to their rebirth. The two main
characters of this story, Richard and Ming Wai, come together as husband and
wife once Ming Wai has entered American society. Little does he know, Ming Wai
has entered this marriage not in love, but in a quest to take Richard's spirit
in order to regain her own.
One might wonder what that means in terms of feminism. A woman who
needs to consume the sole of her husband in order to be alive doesn't sound
like a story supporting the women's movement. However, the author, Ryan, is a
known feminist. This piece of information calls for deeper analysis. Why would
an active and well-spoken feminist write a story so stifling to women in
promoting a dependency upon man for identity or self-worth?
Ming Wai is actually a representation of feminist progression. In
early years, women were seen as mothers and keepers of the domestic sphere.
However, as the hands of time traveled forward, women began to take on a more
active role outside of the home. Although their role was more active it was not
a distinct shift in gender roles, as it was still a world built around men and their
accomplishments. The lines between male and female roles continue to blur as
more women are the sole provider for families and the number of single mothers
continues to rise. This progression of women's rights is shown through the
haunting of Ming Wai.
When left in China, women were expected to run the home and raise
the children while the men mailed home checks. Often times, women were still
required to work low-income jobs in China to ensure ends meeting. Because they
were left alone to raise the children and be the head of the household, they
were forced to bear the responsibility of both the masculine and feminine. This
began to blur the lines of gender roles within Chinese culture. By devouring
the husband's sole, Ryan challenges us to think about the masculine role in the
family. Fathers in the 21st century are becoming more stereotypically absent,
especially in lower income families. As a result, mothers are forced to pick up
slack. By consuming the sole of her husband, Ming Wai metaphorically consumes
the responsibility of the male in the household. She is a representation of the
progression of the women's movement.
3 comments:
As you were walking through the basic story of the novel, it just came to me how interesting it was that Ming Wai required a man for her rebirth. Not only did she require Richard but she also took his life slowly but surely. Drawing connections to feminism was very interesting because I did not think of that but it does make sense. You also saw this increased progression of women in society during WWII and Vietnam War. It was safe to say that women were what kept the domestic US together. I think that although there is progression to more masculine roles, women still act as the glue for society whether it is family or community as a whole (working outside of the home). That is not necessarily a bad thing though because women are important to society and they should definitely be appreciated more haha. We see the brighter side of women taking a larger role in the community because Ming Wai experiences the prelude to giving life. That is very important in giving a positive twist to what happened to Richard. As a single man in the US, he could not reproduce so basically what he added to society was going to be shortlived unlike what Ming Wai now has to offer to society. But what you said about Ryan is very important and interesting.
This is incredibly interesting, and puts the story into perspective. I concur with all of the points you made about women in such positions blurring the lines of traditional gender roles. Perhaps, in the end, she completely overcame her gender role by taking Richard's soul. That is, as Anisha mentioned, she needed Richard to foster her 'rebirth'. But men are not the child bearers. As previously discussed, Richard' gender was more or less stripped from him in the end, and this could have been the 'final blow'. In forcing Richard to be the reason for her rebirth, Ming Wai stripped him completely of his masculinity and, in turn, gained a more masculine role herself.
Carter- the comment about Ming Wai was really interesting. I think it’s really great that we could use each other as sound boards to bounce interesting ideas back and forth.
Lori - Although Ming Wai took his masculinity, she still maintained her femininity which is thought provoking because when Richard tried to be the caretaker of his home and the breadwinner, he failed. Ming Wai being a woman was able to take both roles, which could be used as an argument for the power of women, which goes well with your blog Lori. There was something really majestic about his death and how she did it. She had enough power to make Richard weak and kill him.
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