I believe that the female character in the story represents not just Ichiyo’s own struggles, but those of all women in the 19th century. At the time, women were not held to the same standard as men, and as such, received lower quality educations compared to men. In addition to this, once they were married, they were not considered to be a partner to their spouse, but as property. The husband had all the power in the relationship, as evidenced in the words Oseki’s father said to her. Nothing could be done about this, and if women tried to speak out against it, they would be swiftly shut down by the same men they are trying to revolt against.
2 thoughts on “Feminism”
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This is very true! The struggle for equality or to even been “seen” as a person was outrageous in the 19th century.
This is a good point to acknowledge because Oseki was shamed constantly for not being educated and knowing the things Harada wanted. Besides her social standing, her being a woman during the time affected her education as well because women were not pushed to pursue education.