Isamu is wealthy as he owns many apartments compared to Roku. Isamu’s social status is defined by how Oseki’s parents address him. They say they are afraid of calling Oseki due to the fear of Isamu’s status (Ichiyo, 1981). On the other hand, Roku is a rickshaw driver who seems unorderly when he meets with Oseki. It is evident when Roku tells Oseki that he is ashamed of his appearance (Ichiyo, 1981). The appearance of Roku shows that he is of a lower social class compared to Isamu. However, there are some similarities between Roku and Isamu’s social status. Both believe that a man is the supreme leader in a marriage and should provide for the wife. Isamu provides all the required things for his wife. Also, after meeting Oseki, Roku takes the responsibility of leading Oseki. The difference in social class statuses, however, does not affect the fact that the woman must submit to the man.
Oseki’s meeting with Roku teaches her several things. Oseki understands that no matter how unhappy marriage might be if the man is providing all the required necessities, the marriage will still be active. Additionally, she learns that all marriages have struggles that make the couples unhappy. The meeting is significant in Marxist theory’s lens in that Oseki learns that both Roku and Isamu are working toward the common good of society. If everyone works to satisfy their needs, then the issue of the social class will be based on the outcome of everyone’s work. The meeting helps highlight the issue of social classes, which brings conflicts to society.
Hi, you did a good job with tying the two theories together ,I liked how you said that the differences in classes did not affect the woman submitting to the man. That just showed that no matter what class they were in the woman was always seen as inferior to the man.
Hey! I love how detailed your response is. I agree with what you said Oseki’s Parents definitely over-emphasize Isamu’s status which shows us how important social class is to them.