Isamu and Roku are both careless of their homes and uninterested in their spouses. They are self-centered and only concerned about just how they feel. Isamu’s life is different from Roku’s because he is from a better social group. Isamu is uncomfortable with his marriage since he believes his wife Oseki is unintelligent. That type of woman, I feel, could be a queen or the wife of a wealthy man. In that type of society, a woman’s role would be to ensure that all children are well looked after, that woman appears beautiful, that her partner’s needs are fulfilled, and that her emotions and wants are neglected in her life. If Oseki had been with Roku, her life would have been different, but that isn’t her reality. Both men have something in common with Oseki, and she has a kid with Isamu, but Roku has her emotions.
3 thoughts on “Marxism In The Thirteenth Night”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
hey angelica! i also agree with your statement on both men being self centered . why would isamu think or believe his wife is intelligent?
Hi Angelica, great viewpoints! As Oseki’s mother said in the story, he knew her length of intelligence and the social status that she was coming from so it doesn’t make much sense why he would pursue her so hard just to put her down constantly during their marriage.
You are right, if Oseki and Roku were together and encourage each other, Roke would probably be a successful man too, but unfortunately things were not as how they wanted.