The theme of the “voiceless woman” throughout the book “The Woman Warrior” is of great importance. Maxine Kingston tells several stories in which she gives clear examples of how the women in her family are diminished and silenced by Chinese culture. The author not only gives a voice to herself, but also to other women in her family and community who have not had the opportunity to speak out and tell their stories. The author begins the book with the story of his aunt. This story was a closely guarded family secret as her aunt's actions were a great disappointment to the family. The “nameless woman,” as the story calls her, was forgotten by her entire family because she had a child who was not her husband’s. This story gives a clear example of the role of women in Chinese culture. As the author says, “women in ancient China did not choose” (p. 6). Women of the time did not have authority, this is what their wills and wishes express. They were only allowed to obey the orders of their parents, husbands and mother-in-law. In this culture, women were not able to choose who they wanted to marry; instead, their parents choose their relatives. This tradition is clearly reflected in the story of Maxine Kingston's aunt when she was placed in the care of her husband's family. Furthermore, the “nameless woman” was forgotten not only by her family but also by her husband. He left China for 30 years during which she knew nothing about him. Even though she did not live with her husband, she was still expected to behave like a married woman. Clearly, this woman was tired of waiting, so she “raised her voice” and took matters into her own hands. Despite the fact that she had to follow certain rules, she decided that she wasn't going to wait... middle of paper... like she wanted. Additionally, Kingston was not the only "speechless girl" in her class, her sister and the other girls remained silent for many years. As Kingston says, "other Chinese girls didn't talk either, so I knew the silence had to do with being a Chinese girl." It is clearly visible that their Chinese heritage has had a great impact on their social life at school. As the years passed, Kingston transferred to another school and gained enough courage to start speaking out. Without a doubt, the theme of the “voiceless woman” is clearly visible in every story that Maxine Kingston presents in the book Woman Warrior. Even though each woman starts off as a "voiceless woman" in all the stories, she ends up being a brave and determined woman towards the end. Work cited by Maxine Hong Kingston. The Warrior Woman: Memoirs of a Childhood Among Ghosts, April 23, 1989