The Bleeding Dog

In "Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston she symbolizes the true love Fa Mu Lan had for not only herself but for her fellow citizens with the color red. Various times she uses phrases such as "I saw my back covered entirely with words in red and black files, like an army, like my army." Fa Mu Lan looks past the pain she went through while those scratches were being carved into her back and how she had to sacrifice her body for these people she was fighting for. She looks at the red on her back as being the bleeding passion she has for fighting for what she believes in for a better outcome. I believe the black represents her schemes in making the government believe she was a man in order for her to live to be a warrior.

Kingston shows a different view of feminism by using the color red to represent a love different from the one most women think of. When most women think of the word "love" they think of meeting the perfect man who has all the right qualities to support her and their future lives. Although in this chapter she Fa Mu Lan does get married it does not distract her from her true purpose, it empowers her to fight harder.  Kingston represents love as being a passion that leads Fa Mu Lan to do things that takes more guts than any man could have. A different perception of feminism is portrayed in this piece through the use of the color red and its symbolism.