The setting of “The Thirteenth Night” reflects the historical era perception of women. Its setting shows how women were viewed as just helpers who had no right to make decisions in the family. They were designed to perform house chores and take care of the children. For example, Oseki was urged by her parents to stick to her husband despite it being an abusive and unhappy marriage (Ichiyo, 1981). Because they thought that Oseki could not work for herself; hence she had to stick where her needs were satisfied despite the challenges. The story displays the woman characters as those who cannot make decisions but must follow what the men want.
Ichiyo’s life story also reflects how women in the past were trained to be housewives. Ichiyo is displayed as a poor girl; this shows society’s perception of ladies. Ichiyo does not enjoy her right to study as her mother took her out of school despite being a bright young girl who understood what she was doing (Dexter, 2016). At fourteen, Ichiyo was enrolled in a school where she learned a lot. It helped her navigate her way through the systems of power. The education she got helped her manage the property left by her father. She became a very good writer, and she could have a say in a world where women were regarded as incompetent. Her mother never allowed her to continue with school; Ichiyo uses this as an example to show how she had struggles even with her family members, who never wanted her to prosper in her deeds because she was a woman.
hey! I love how detailed you made your answer. I agree women are definitely represented as people that can’t be independent and look after themselves.
Hi Nahidur! As Deborah mentioned, I like how detailed your response was. I agree that the story portrays the female characters as those who are powerless to make decisions and must simply go along with what the men want. “The Thirteenth Night” showed what was expected of women back then and how it was different from now.