Dual Analysis of "No Name Woman" and "The Way to Rainy Mountain"

Family values often derive from culture. Maxine Hong Kingston, in "No Name Woman," describes the Chinese culture and its relation to family. She is critical of the life her aunt lives within Chinese society. In "The Way to Rainy Mountain," N Scott Momaday reflects warmly about the life his grandmother, Aho, lives among the Kiowa culture. Kingston is bitter towards her heritage as displayed through each of their descriptions of their ancestors' surroundings and their ancestors' stories.

Kingston's aunt has a harsh surrounding relative to Momaday's grandmother's beautiful surrounding. "Your aunt gave birth in the pigsty that night." A pigsty is an unclean place which represents not only the ransacked home which her aunt gives birth but also the spiteful culture that her aunt lives in. "Don't humiliate us. You wouldn't like to be forgotten as if you had never been born. The villagers are watchful." The villagers put a lot of pressure on Kingston's aunt which Kingston sees as a poor atmosphere to live in since she grows up in America where there are much less societal pressures. "To look upon that langscape in the early morning... your imagination comes to life and this you think is where Creation was begun." The beauty which Momaday conveys represents the beauty he sees within the Kiowa tribe; there is a strong appreciation for the land which the Kiowa live on. "in July the inland slope of the Rockies is luxuriant with flax and buckwheat, stonecrop and larkspur." Kingston reflects upon the culture to describe her aunt's surroundings whereas Momaday reflects upon the beauty of the land to describe his grandmother's surroundings.

Kingston presents her Aunts tail as being shameful whereas Momiday describes his grandmother as being honorable throughout her life. "But they had sent her back to her own mother and father, a mysterious act hinting at disgraces not told to me. Perhaps they had thrown her out to deflect the avengers." Kingston's aunt has a harsh surrounding relative to Momaday's grandmother's beautiful surrounding. "Such commonplace loveliness however was not enough for my aunt... and sure enough she cursed the year, the family, the village, and herself." A pigsty is an unclean place which represents not only the ransacked home which her aunt gives birth but also the spiteful culture that her aunt lives in. The villagers put a lot of pressure on Kingston's aunt which Kingston sees as a poor atmosphere to live in since she grows up in America where there are much less societal pressures. "I see my grandmother in several postures that were peculiar to her:... very slowly as she did when the weight of age came upon her; praying." The beauty which Momaday conveys represents the beauty he sees within the Kiowa tribe; there is a strong appreciation for the land which the Kiowas live on. "Once there was a lot of sound in my grandmother's houses... they were an old council of warlords come to remind and be reminded of who they were." Kingston reflects upon the culture to describe her aunt's surroundings whereas Momaday reflects upon nostalgia which his grandmother brings him.

Kingston sees her culture as overbearing not only were they ashamed of her aunt but they went out of their way to make sure that her aunt knew societies opinion of her. The shame caused from her overbearing culture ultimately caused Kingston's aunt to kill herself and her child. Momaday believes his grandmother's culture is beautiful and even after they stopped acting like a tribe together their culture was still lived on individually with the Aunt.