Feminism in Ichiyo

I think the character Oseki represents women who lived during that era in Japan. The roles women played during this period of time were to get married, become a house wife, and have children. Women didn’t have much power during this time because they were expected to be dependent on their husbands and weren’t given much decisions to make, so it was tough to navigate through the system by themselves. At the time, they were only able to navigate through the system of power through their husbands and their appearance. Women during that time also weren’t expected to have a good education and weren’t able to engage in politics. I think the character Oseki falls into the category of feminism in The Thirteenth Night because she wanted to take control over her own life and divorce her abusive husband. I think Oseki trying to get into her own power was a symbolism of feminism.