Eastern civilization has been noted throughout history as a society of strict standards based on a system of honor and high moral values. The traditions and values of Eastern civilization are an underlying element in the plot of Maxine Hong Kingston's "No Name Woman". It is ultimately a social commentary and an illustration of Eastern cultural standards and the disciplinary actions when those standards are violated.
             An Eastern traditional value found in "No Name Woman" is the supremacy of males in that culture. Eastern ideology draws up the male to act the role of a strong central figurehead in the family. His duties of fulfilling this sense of responsibility are the following: to be a source of financial income, to be a strong positive figure, and to provide emotional support for his family. The duty of the male and the ability to fulfill his duty as leader and caretaker of his family is well respected in Asian culture.
             The role as a provider is an ideology engraved into the heads of all men in Eastern society. A sense of duty to financially support his family implants a strong determination and work ethic to provide for his loved ones. The responsibility and social emphasis as provider is illustrated in Kingston's essay. Maxine's mother explains to Maxine that "your father and his brothers and your grandfather and his brothers and your aunt's new husband" all left for America in search of these dreams.
             In this small excerpt from Maxine's essay we see that these men virtually gave up everything they had in China to travel to America in search of work. This is a huge sacrifice as these men left behind everything they knew and everything they possessed in China. They left in search of work to a country they knew very little about with a hazy idea of what lied in the ahead in the future. However, the sense of duty as a provider forced these men to take the chance that t...