While Isamu and Roku are vastly different in terms of status, Isamu being affluent while Roku is deprived, neither were able to achieve a successful relationship. Isamu, having money and status, was able to attain anything and act anyway he seemingly desired from his courting of Oseki to his blatant mistreatment of her – Oseki’s own father believing that she would not find a greater happiness than when she is with Isamu; Roku, without great wealth or status, was unable to keep his wife even when his behavior was similar to Isamu. The difference of results through similar actions from different social standings is a clear point of contention in Marxist theory as Roku may never attain the same happiness as Isamu purely from their places in society.
From Oseki’s encounter with Roku, I believe she had second thoughts on how she could have lived differently to have been happy. The meeting sparked the thought of what if she did not listen to her parents ramblings of marry Isamu and instead steadfastly pursued the homely life she envisioned with Roku in her earlier years, but even Roku was not able to picture a future where Oseki would have been happier with him as one was the, “great Harada Isamu” while the other was just the lowly rickshaw driver.
Hello, Calvin
I liked your post. I had not evaluated the meet up between the two the way you have analyzed it. I did not think the meet up would be a depiction of what Oseki’s life would have been if she had married Roku. Thank you for giving me this new perspective.