Suicides Forgotten Victims By Lisa Keiski And The Woman Warrior

Embracing Judgment: Keiski and Kingston Reflect on Their Challenges as Positive Experiences

Gina Parducci
EngComp 3
Popham
1/27/2023

From infancy to teenage life, growing up presents plenty of difficulties, confusion, and isolating moments. Figuring out life can seem daunting, and like each person must fend for themselves. Looking back on ourselves as children we can remember embarking on the journey of growing up, yet those challenges shaped us into what we represent today. The stories “Suicides Forgotten Victims” by Lisa Keiski and The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston, reflect on topics of suicide and Chinese culture respectively, yet both depict scenes of alienation transpired by society, authority

The lack of community services for suicidal individuals or their families left Keiski alienated from society. Due to Keiksi’s personal experience with her friend’s suicide, she says: “We, as a society, need to stop stigmatizing the friends and relatives of suicide victims and start helping them” (Keiski 94). As Keiski explains in her story, communities have more services to help suicidal individuals, yet almost no services in communities that support friends or relatives of suicide victims. When Keiski’s best friend committed suicide she felt alone and grieving with no one to comfort her since the friend that would have comforted her just passed. Keiski’s personal experience with an almost-family member self-harming resulted in her suffering from the alienation of society. She had to find a way to aid herself since society will not change and aid her mental suffering. Keiski endures alienation while trying to cope with the death of her friend since she has nobody to comfort her, leaving her to find a way to cope with her strength of herself. This shows that society’s alienation of Keiski requires her to mature as a

Kingston sits at the pharmacy with her mom who says,“‘If you don’t go, I’m holding you responsible for bringing a plague on this family.’’’, and Kingston replies, ‘‘‘What am I supposed to do when I get there?’ I said, sullen, trapped” (336). Kingston feels helpless. Kingston’s mom asks her to ask someone–the pharmacist–to give Kingston some candy. All Kingston wants to do in this situation includes leaving and fleeing. In China, the author explains a cultural difference of how customarily pharmacies give free candy, but not in America. In America, the pharmacist expects payment. Even though this situation at the pharmacy shows how customs among American and Chinese cultures present differently, it also shows how the authority of the pharmacist seems so intimidating to the–othered–Chinese population. Kingston’s mom tries to act dramatic with her comments about inflicting sickness and the same on the relatives, siblings, and grandparents. This disease she refers to also has a metaphorical meaning of shame. It seems sensible in Kingston’s mom's mind to receive candy. Kingston's mom feels that if she does not stand up to the pharmacist she would not uphold their family pride. Lots of pressure from Kingston’s mom becomes inflicted onto Kingston. Since her mom believes morally the right thing to do is to talk with the pharmacist. Kingston knows