No Name Woman

Samantha Waters

Mrs. Auchter

English 1301

25 January 2016

Journal Response #1 to “No Name Woman”

        In this short story, the author writes about what happened to her aunt from a story told by her mother. As I read more and more of the story, I became more intrigued of the Chinese lifestyle. I have always had a vision of how strict the Chinese lived, but I was not aware of just how strict they actually are. The author used dramatic vocabulary to create a vivid imagination in my mind. I could only imagine what the aunt was going through. All the pain, suffering, neglect. To be completely honest, I skipped to the end before reading the story as a whole. I was too interested in the aunt’s future, hoping she would make something positive out of the situation she was in. I was disappointed when I realized that it ended with her dying. I was even more dissatisfied when I found that the family chose to not speak of her name after the incident happened. Instead of mourning her loss, the family used her as a lesson. They push her to the back of their minds, until a teachable moment occurs. Family plays such an important role in our lives, and being treated as if you had never been born has got to be extremely painful and heartbreaking.

        After reading “No Name Woman” I found myself staring at the story with disappointment, not from the author but from the tradition of Chinese culture. Woman are looked down upon and treated as products, when they should be treated with respect. I can say that I was very pleased with how the author told the story. She was descriptive and to the point, thus helping me gain knowledge about China’s culture. This story was an eye opener for me. I grew up having unlimited freedom and being able to make my own choices, I never took a second to think about how privileged I am compared to other countries situations. Other than being an eye opener, the short story helped me understand what unprivileged women go through. They are constantly shamed for situations that they cannot help, yet they are still brutally punished for it. Another interesting point I found in the story, is that the author kept her family’s secret for such a long time even after knowing it was wrong of her. From listening to the daughter talk, I gathered that she regretted going along with the rejection from her family to her aunts name.