Analysis Of Bewitched By Ueda Akinari

754 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Woman oppresion in literature

Anthony Fowler
V. Underwood
ENG109
February 9, 2014
Analysis of Bewitched by Ueda Akinari
Bewitched is a story about a naïve young man in 16th century Japan who falls in love with an unbelievably gorgeous woman who turns out to really be an evil spirit who possesses the bodies of beautiful women. This story tells a tale that holds a message to warn men and women in a misogynist fashion to beware their temptations and to act in the correct social norms. The fact the protagonist is a man and the antagonist is a female represents the patriarchy within the society for which the story was written. The story teaches the roles of men and women by contrasting characters who act appropriately to those who do not. The main protagonist and antagonist appear to have the characteristics of an improper man and woman, whereas all the other characters show the appropriate fashion they should act according to their gender.
The main characters meet after a mysteriously sudden rainfall where they both retreat into the same hut. The male protagonist, Toyo-o, is naïve young man who is drawn in quickly by the beauty of the antagonist, Manago. Despite his naiveté, he seems to understand some of the gender roles of a woman by observing the odd fact she was without a male escort. His knowledge of the gender roles for both women and men is obviously lacking, however, as he doesn’t think much of her other strange behaviors later on, nor does he appropriately take on his own personal duties as a man.
Throughout the story the author discusses how Toyo-o’s father and bigger brother scorn him for his irresponsibility and laziness, since he fails to take up any responsibility to help with the family business. This shows that, in the Japanese culture, a man is...

... middle of paper ...

...o him. This part in the story suggests such a thing is a feminine quality and that men should not worry about being good looking, but rather focus more on more manly qualities: especially that of prudence.
Toyo-o’s brother seems to represent many qualities of a good man. He makes the final decisions of the household, holding his judgment’s above that of even his mothers. He takes responsibility for his family business, and is able to take care of his family from his work. The women aren’t mentioned to take much part in the business, so it’s assumed to be mostly the man’s responsibility. These are qualities that Toyo-o seems to lack, which mostly seem to be qualities that are meant to keep men away from any feminine qualities so that they can hold power over them. This lack of such power is the reason why Toyo-o was so susceptible to Manago’s, or a woman’s, power.

Show More
Related

  • The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    One day an old man comes to join the family for supper-- he new Poh-Poh from Old China... the man is odd looking and Liang thinks him to be "the Monkey Man" from the ghost stories her grams is always telling. Regardless Liang and this man she comes to call Wong-Suk become great friends. They go to the movies together and get jeered at (I'm not sure if this is beacause 'Beauty and the Beast' or because they are Chinese); he tells her stories; and she dances for him.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Television Drama, By Jane Rules

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story A Television Drama, by Jane Rule is an exciting story about an unusual event, which the main character, Carolee Mitchell, experiences the end of. The story is about her quiet street becoming unusually busy with police officers, and how the man who is being chased by these officers ends up being outside her front door. Through the point of view of the story, the characterization and character change of Carolee Mitchell, and the setting of the story, A Television Drama is an exciting read. The story conveys how important it is to be aware of ones surroundings, and what is happening around oneself through these elements.

    Read More

  • Samurai

    997 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Katsu’s tale allows one to delve deep into the day to day life of an unemployed samurai during the end of the Tokugawa era. His life can be observed to see the immense privilege the samurai status held. Not only that, he displays the values of a samurai warrior and although he does not act like an honorable samurai, he is an honorable warrior. Katsu displays the tenacity of both samurai privileges and values during the late Tokugawa shogunate. Although his life may not exemplify the ideal samurai, it does in fact allow one to observe the life of an ordinary samurai.

    Read More

  • Comparing Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market and William Wordsworth’s The Thorn

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...seful miscommunication between men and women. Lastly, when looking through the imagined perspective of the thoughtless male tricksters, the reader is shown the heartlessness of men. After this reader’s final consideration, the main theme in each of the presented poems is that both authors saw women as victims of a male dominated society.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in The Things They Carried

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    The character analysis of Mary Anne Bell in comparison and contrast to Martha and Elroy Berdahl implores the audience to consider the idea that gender is not inherent.

    Read More

  • What Are The Stereotypes In The House On Mango Street

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sandra Cisneros’s coming of age novel The House on Mango Street, is a good example of an instance where the ‘macho man’ stereotype is extenuated. Esmerelda, the narrator, is growing up in a very traditional patriarchal culture. In this environment, the men are seen as the head of the family, often controlling what his wife and family can do. In the chapter, “Alice Who Sees Mice” Esmerelda tells about a girl, Alice, who was forced to take her mother’s role and care for her younger siblings and father. When she attempts to go to school to escape the life, her father berates her sections and tells her that her

    Read More

  • Trifles and A Dollhouse

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the plays, the reader can visualize how men dismiss women as trivial and treat them like property, even though the lifestyles they are living in are very much in contrast. The playwrights, each in their own way, are addressing the issues that have negatively impacted the identity of women in society.

    Read More

  • Obeyed Wifehood And Conceiving Womanhood In Othello And Oroonoko

    2129 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many readers feel the tendency to compare Aphra Behn's Oroonoko to William Shakespeare's Othello. Indeed they have many features in common, such as wives executed by husbands, conflicts between white and black characters, deceived heroes, the absolute vulnerability of women, etc. Both works stage male characters at both ends of their conflicts. In Othello, the tragic hero is Othello, and the villain is Iago. In Oroonoko, the hero is Oroonoko, the vice of the first part is the old king, and the second part white men in the colony. In contrast to their husbands, both heroines—Desdemona and Imoinda—seem more like "function characters" who are merely trapped in their husband's fates, occasionally becoming some motivation of their husbands (like Desdemona is Othello's motivation to rage, Imoinda's pregnancy drives Oroonoko restless to escape). While Shakespeare and Behn put much effort in moulding them, to many readers they are merely "perfect wives". This paper aims to argue that, Desdemona and Imoinda's perfect wifehood may be the product of compliance to male-dominated societies, where women are

    Read More

  • representation of women in much ado about nothing

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    (Essay intro) In the modern day, women have the luxury of belonging to themselves but unfortunately this was not always the case. During his life, William Shakespeare created many positive female characters who defied the traditional gender roles and brought attention to the misogynistic patriarchy of Elizabethan England. One of these true feminist icons is ‘Much Ado about Nothing’s. Beatrice. The women in ‘Much Ado about Nothing’ defy traditional gender roles. Beatrice represents a brave and outspoken woman who defies the oppressive, traditional gender roles for the female sex. Her cousin Hero, however, represents those women who were successfully oppressed by the patriarchy and accepted the traditional gender roles without much complaint.

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In Lysistrata

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    The overarching the play demonstrates the men’s perception of women is entirely not treated as humans. The dialogue between

    Read More

  • Kiyoshi Kurosawa´s Tokyo Sonata: Family Values in an Increasingly Modern Japan

    636 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Tokyo Sonata, all four members of the Sasaki family are presented with interesting obstacles that each must overcome or resolve in their own ways. The values of the Sasaki family are challenged in a way that most definitely describes a growing trend in our world, where family values are slowly disintegrating and people are accepting individual values over family values. In closing, the Sasaki’s appear to be on the right track towards unifying again, yet the reality is not clearly laid out.

    Read More

  • The Doll House Feminist Analysis

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    After reading “The Doll House” and “Trifles”, the idea of females being inferior to men is portrayed. Both plays, are in a much older time period. But from a feminist view, females are still sometimes given the doubtful role in today’s society. Both plays, are very different, but much alike in the ways the females are treated, never taken seriously, nor are they appreciated.

    Read More

  • Okonkwo’s Resistance to Change in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    From an early age, Okonkwo was ashamed of his father, Unoka, who was unable even to feed his family. The unpredictability of receiving enough food at a young age was enough to inspire fear and embarrassment in Okonkwo who associated this embarrassment with his father and was given further justification for these feelings when he went out into Umuofia, discovering that the other villagers held similar opinions of Unoka. When he was old enough, Okonkwo began farming his own yams because “he had to support his mother and two sisters […] And supporting his mother also meant supporting his father” (25). Okonkwo’s self-reliance was admired, valued in the community where “age was respected […] but achievement was revered” (12); this admiration gave him feelings of security, and the respect of his peers pushed him towards greater self-respect, distancing him from his father. The security and respect became related in his mind as he viewed his acceptance in the community as his life’s goal and Okonk...

    Read More

  • The Empowerment of Japanese Women, through Strong Female Characters of Anime Film

    2331 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...sequently, the identity of Japanese women within popular culture would transform with the empowerment of Japanese women. They create a new type of identity ‘female masculinity’ which reinforces the reversal of gender roles and the alternative world that it achieves. In a patriarchal society, the characters should be able to influence and inspire the audience to gain confidence and challenge the status quo. From another viewpoint, gender is a type of social construction insofar as they needed the feminine side of masculinity to have a balanced world and to explain it. Although, there will always be a fine line between the ideal and reality because the films are supposed to represent the ideal alternative to the world to resolve the social issues that are not directly discussed. Reality is just supposed to be influenced by it and to understand the problems of society.

    Read More

  • Things Fall Apart: Questions and Answers

    2705 Words  | 6 Pages

    Okonkwo is a self-made man. He achieves greatness through his own hard work and determination. Okonkwo started his life without the benefits that other young men had. His father, Unoka, was a lazy man. He had acquired no honorary titles. When Unoka died, Okonkwo did not inherit any barn, title, or young wife. He merely acquired his father’s debts. Therefore, Okonkwo sets about to make a name for himself and to achieve greatness in his community. He diligently plants and harvests his yams, building a farm from scratch. He builds a large commune for his family. He marries three wives; one of them was the village beauty. He acquires two titles. Okonkwo is not a failure, like is father was. In Umuofia, “achievement was revered”, and Okonkwo’s achievement was immense (8). He was “clearly cut out for great things” (8). To the Igbo people, Okonkwo epitomizes greatness and success.

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Bewitched By Ueda Akinari

Open Document