Higuchi Ichiyo’s “The Thirteenth Night” was written in the late 1800s, so what was expected of women was quite different. Women’s roles were to do housework, care for their children(s), and be considered their husbands’ property. Oseki exemplifies what the majority of women had to go through at the time. She had planned to leave her abusive husband, but after speaking with her father, she changed her mind. This was because her father told her that she had to fulfill her responsibilities as a wife and mother no matter what has happened. “The Thirteenth Night” depicts how women’s social status is poor and how their relationships are restricted, they don’t have a say in anything. The birth of Isamu’s and Oseki’s son Taro was the catalyst for her abuse. His rage was fueled by the fact that Oseki is less educated. Despite the fact that she was raised at a time when girls were not required to attend school and that Isamu was aware of her background when he desired her. Isamu makes fun of Oseki for being “too stupid to confide in” and keeps her in his house only as Taro’s nursing mother. Reading the biography, Ichoya navigated the system’s power with the help of her father and by continuing to pursue her dreams.
A interesting connection between the roles of woman and social class, this forces woman to make difficult choices and in the event of this story, even except unfair or unhappy lives.
Hello Ramirez
I agree with your assessment of the post. Women were considered inferior beings, which prevented them from making decisions. You have also captured Oseki’s situation in her family where her father is the head of the family and makes all the family decisions, including those that affect her life.
I agree with your point. It showed that no respect was given or cared for towards women regardless off the hardships they had to endure.
I agree with you because when reading the story it felt like she was going through allot and was as if she had no power to stand up to her husband .