The Joy Luck Club - Personal Notes and Analysis

Biography of the Director

Wayne Wang

• Alternate Name: John Wayne Wang
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• Director

• Gender: Male

• Born: January 12, 1949

• Birthplace: Hong Kong

• Nationality: China
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• From All Movie Guide: Director Wayne Wang grew up in a Hong Kong household that worshipped at the altar of Hollywood -- he himself was named for movie star John Wayne. After attending California's College of Arts and Sciences, Wang returned to Hong Kong hoping to become a film "auteur." However, at that time, his native country's film industry was geared more to kung-fu movies than to the cinema of personal statement, so Wang had to wait a while to express his vision. After a stint in television, Wang handled direction of the Hong Kong-based scenes of the American film Golden Needles (1975), and then co-directed a melodrama shot in San Francisco, A Man, A Woman and A Killer (1975). Realizing that the mainstream would continue to stifle his creativity, Wang sought out funding from various arts foundations, then produced, directed, edited, and co-wrote the Chinatown culture-clash drama Chan is Missing (1981) on a beggarly 22,000 dollar budget. Wang soon discovered that he was most effective marching to his own beat; an attempt at "popular" moviemaking, Slam Dance (1987), failed to make the turnstiles click, while the more unconventional Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) proved to be an audience pleaser. In 1993, the director reached mainstream audiences with his adaptation of Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, a Chinese generational epic, and followed with an adaptation of Paul Auster's Smoke (1995), starring Harvey Keitel and William Hurt; the film's follow-up, a series of sketches involving many of the same characters called Blue in the Face, was released in 1995. Wang returned to Hong Kong once again to shootChinese Box (1997), a story set around the British hand-over of Hong Kong to the Chinese. Starring Gong Li and Jeremy Irons, the film received mixed notices. However, such lukewarm reception did little to dim the anticipation surrounding Wang's next directorial effort, Anywhere But Here. A 1999 adaptation of a Mona Simpson novel, it starred Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman as a mother and daughter trying to begin a new life. Wayne Wang is married to actress Cora Miao, who has appeared in a number of his films, including Eat a Bowl of Tea (1989) and Life Is Cheap...But Toilet Paper Is Expensive (1991). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
• 
  
• Education
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• Institution - College of Arts and Crafts 
• Location - Oakland , California 
• Major - Film 
• Degree - Masters of Fine Arts, M.F.A 
• Year range - 1973
• Institution - College of Arts and Crafts 
• Location - Oakland , California
• Major - Art 
• Degree - Bachelors of Fine Arts, B.F.A
• Institution - College of Arts and Crafts 
• Location - Oakland, California 
• Major - painting 
• Degree - BFA
• Institution - College of Arts and Crafts 
• Location - Oakland, California 
• Major - film and TV 
• Degree - MFA 
• Year range - 1973
• Source : 
• "Wayne Wang - Biography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com." NYTimes.com. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 5 May 2013.
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• Biography of the Writer

QUICK FACTS

• NAME: Amy Tan
• OCCUPATION: Author
• BIRTH DATE: February 19, 1952 (Age: 61)
• EDUCATION: Linfield College, San Jose City College, San Jose State University, University of California at Santa Cruz, University of California at Berkeley.
• PLACE OF BIRTH: Oakland, California
• FULL NAME: Amy Ruth Tan
• ZODIAC SIGN: Pisces

BEST KNOWN FOR

Amy Tan is a Chinese-American novelist who wrote the New York Times-bestselling novel The Joy Luck Club.

Synopsis

Amy Tan was born on February 19, 1952 in Oakland, California. In 1985, she wrote the story "Rules of the Game," which was the foundation for her first novel The Joy Luck Club. The book explored the relationship between Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters. It received the Los Angeles Times Book Award and was translated into 25 languages. Tan lives in San Francisco and New York.

Profile

Writer. Born February 19, 1952 in Oakland, California. Tan grew up in Northern California, but when her father and older brother both died from brain tumors in 1966, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Europe, where she attended high school in Montreux, Switzerland. She returned to the United States for college, attending Linfield College in Oregon, San Jose City College, San Jose State University, the University of California at Santa Cruz and the University of California at Berkeley.

After college, Tan worked as a language development consultant and as a corporate freelance writer. In 1985, she wrote the story "Rules of the Game" for a writing workshop, which formed the early foundation for her first novel The Joy Luck Club. Published in 1989, the book explored the relationship between Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters, and became the longest-running New York Times bestseller for that year. The Joy Luck Club received numerous awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Award. It has been translated into 25 languages, including Chinese, and was made into a major motion picture for which Tan co-wrote the screenplay.

Her other two books, The Kitchen God's Wife (1991) and The Hundred Secret Senses (1995), have also appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. Her latest novel, The Bonesetter's Daughter, was published in 2001. Tan has also written two children's books:The Moon Lady (1992) and The Chinese Siamese Cat (1994), the latter of which was adapted to television for PBS.

Amy Tan has been married to her husband, Lou DeMattei, for over twenty years. They live in San Francisco and New York.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

Source : "Amy Tan Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 6 May 2013.

Themes 

• Exploitation of the female gender 

In this film, there is a clear theme of exploitation of the female gender. We can see that the discrimination against women is clear within the Chinese community. Women are not treated fairly by society and suffer because of that very reason. In Joy Luck Club, most of the female characters have encountered this problem. The theme is evident when each of them they tell their stories in the film. The mothers in the film especially face discrimination or poor treatment because they were women instead of men. For example, in China, one of the mothers, Lindo received poor treatment. Due to her marriage, she is forced to live like a servant to her mother-in-law as well as her husband. Instead of being treated with respect as a wife and a daughter-in-law, she is treated like a servant. For their society, a woman is treated this way because of the notion of feminine submission and duty. Moreover, Ying-Ying was exploited as well. She became a passive woman and would continue this passivity in her marriage. She married a man who would cheat on her. However, she did nothing and continued with the marriage. She allowed her dignity as a woman to be exploited by her husband. An-Mei’s mother would be another example for this theme. She was raped by a man who would then be her husband. This was so she could keep her honor. However, he as a man, could marry how many women he wanted without being judged. An Mei’s mother was even disowned by An Mei’s grandmother because of the belief of purity that has to be held by Chinese woman. With the mothers in the film having such experiences in their lives, their daughters would have to go through the same kind of torment. Rose’s relationship with Ted clearly signifies the stereotypical relationship that involves a heroic male and a victimized female. Besides that, Lena is caught in a marriage where her husband and her would have to use a balance sheet to list down their debts to each other. Her husband did not carry out his responsibilities as a husband to care for her financially. 

• The difficulty of preserving culture and heritage

In the film, we can see that there was difficulty in preserving the Chinese heritage and culture when the mothers immigrate to America. The mothers hail from China and they had suffered greatly back there. Therefore, by immigrating to America, they have hopes of realizing the American Dream. However, they still love their native land and hope to preserve their heritage and culture. Unfortunately, their daughters who were born in America are not interested in the past. Instead, they wish to minimize their culture and heritage as much as possible. They want to be accepted as true Americans. They have become Americanized that they lost touch with their roots. With this, the mothers teach their daughters about China and relive their experiences back there. The stories then teach them about the strength and suffering of each mother that enable the daughters to appreciate their Chinese heritage. The daughters are inspired by the stories and have found strength. As they come to appreciate their mothers and their Chinese heritage, they become strong women who are empowered. They lead happier lives as they accept their roots and find a way to blend it with their lives. 

Settings

• Time period

The time period of the film takes place sometime around the 1980’s. However, with the mothers’ flashbacks, their stories range in the period from around the 1920s to the 1960s. 

• Geographical Location

The characters in the film are living in San Francisco, California, America. However, with the mothers’ flashbacks, their stories take place in various locations in China. However, in the end of the film, June travels to China to meet her long lost half-sisters. 

• Mood 

The mood of the film is sorrowful and serious. As each of the character narrates their stories, their tone in telling their stories are very serious. This is so the viewers would truly understand and feel what these women have suffered through. The mood is especially serious when the mothers tell their stories as they are trying to convey a message to their daughters through these stories. With this, their daughters can learn a lesson or two to make their lives happier than they used to be. 

• Social Conditions

There a number of social conditions highlighted within this film. In the present era, we see that there a number of Asian-Americans that reside in America. However, some Caucasians are not acceptive of them. For example, when Rose was first in a relationship with her Caucasian husband, Ted, his mother was not truly acceptive of their relationship. She even mistook Rose as a Vietnamese although she in fact, an American whose ethnicity was Chinese. We see a small hint of racism in that particular scene. In the stories of the mothers, there is a heavy representation of social conditions. They live in an era where women were surpressed and do not experience freedom. They were not able to say or think what they want but to only follow orders from other people especially men.

• Emotional Conditions 

The emotional conditions that are portrayed are sorrow and reflective. In the beginning, the characters face so much in their lives. They have suffered a great deal and experience sorrow. However, with everything that happened in their lives, they overcome them with kindness and grace. They have matured and understood the reasons behind their experiences. They reflect on their experiences and appreciate their culture and heritage.With this, they find a new sense of happiness as they blend their culture and heritage into their modern American lives. They are filled with hope for the their future. 

Character Analysis

• June Woo 

 - In the film, June is in a way the main character. She is the character that connects all the women in the film as they attend a party to celebrate her trip to China. She is a character that connects America and China in the present era. She speaks both for herself and for her recently deceased mother, Su Yuan. When she travels to China, she realizes the connection or bond that she always had with her mother. 

- She meets her long lost half-sisters in China. This gives her a more profound understanding of her mother. She shares a similarity with the other daughters of The Joy Luck Club. They have become Americanized and have lost their appreciation for their Chinese heritage. Therefore, as they learn the stories that their mother went through, they grew to have appreciation and an understanding for their roots. 

- She believes that she has always been a disappointment for her mother as she received lack of affection. However, her mother has had so much of love and faith in her. Although there was cultural and generational differences, June mends this problem by her visit to China which then provides hope to the other mother-daughter pairs. 

• Woo Su Yuan

- She is the mother of June. She is a strong woman who has faced many hardships when she was living in China. She believes that her daughter, June, can be a child prodigy in music if she makes sure that her daughter is trained well enough. With this, her daughter grows to resent her. She is the founder of The Joy Luck Club. She formed the club with the ladies she met in church. 

- She has abandoned her twin daughters during troubled times in China. After her survival, she has always wanted to locate her children. However, her death is what prevented her to meet her children.

- She has a fierce love towards her daughter, June. Although it is perceived to be harsh criticism, she actually wishes for the best for her daughter and loves her very dearly. She felt that she was not deserving to be called a good mother as she abandoned her twin daughters back in China.

• Lindo Jong 

- She is Waverly’s mother. When she was a young girl in China, she was married off to an impotent husband and lives in a loveless marriage. She is oppressed by her mother-in-law’s tyranny. She is treated like a servant in the house. Therefore, by tricking her mother-in-law using superstition that her mother-in-law believes in, she manages to escape herself from the marriage without dishonoring herself. 

- She nurtures Waverly’s skills in chess which made Waverly resent her as she seemed to control Waverly and taking claim for her successes. She

• Waverly Jong 

- She is the daughter of Lindo Jong. As a child, she was a chess prodigy. However, she becomes frustrated as her mother would use her successes as a reason to show off. She then quits playing chess. However, when she decides to play chess again, she has lost her touch and was not as good as she was. 

- As an adult, she is a successful tax-consultant. She fears her mother’s criticism of her fiancé, Rich. As she sits through a family dinner with her parants and Rich, she sees that Rich is making a lot of mistakes that her mother might find as reasons to hate him. However, she finds out that her mother actually likes Rich.

- She has a rivalry with June as well and this causes her to humiliate June in front of others during Su Yuan’s New Year’s dinner.

• Hsu An Mei 

- She is Rose’s mother. As a child, she witnesses her mother’s sufferings. Her mother killed herself so that she could have power and freedom. 

• Rose Hsu Jordan 

- She is the daughter of An Mei. She is the wife of Ted Jordan. She is someone who is timid and unable to voice out her opinion. She is unable to stand up for herself or to make decisions. Therefore, she is often taken for granted. She becomes a ‘victim’ to her husband’s role as a ‘hero’ by letting him make all the decisions in their life and marriage. 

- When she and Ted are going to get a divorce, her mother intervenes and inspires her to be strong and stand up for herself. With this, she refuses to let Ted to ‘bully’ her and take away her house.

• Ying-Ying St. Clair 

- She is Lena St. Clair’s mother. She comes from a wealthy Chinese family. When she was a young woman, she married a man and gave birth to a son. However, her husband cheats on her on betrays her. She did not do anything about it but remained passive. With extreme hate towards him, she cannot handle his betrayal and drowns their baby when she was bathing him. She felt that this would take away a part of her husband. After many years, she felt regretful about her action of killing her child and would sometimes fall in a deep state of passivity filled with depression.

• Lena St. Clair 

- Lena is the daughter of Ying-Ying. She is living in an unhappy marriage to Harold. He insists that they use a balance sheet to detail their debts to each other. He believes that they should share all costs so that money would not wreck their marriage. However, it is doing the opposite. For example, the cost of the ice-cream that only Harold eats would have to be shared among the two of them. Lena fails to stand up for herself and subjects herself to such treatment. Her mother then inspires her to take charge in the relationship. She then starts by saying that she would not pay for the ice-cream.

Conflict

• Individual vs. Individual

- In the film, we see a conflict between individuals. The individuals would be the mothers with their daughters. The mothers want their daughters to understand their culture and heritage so that they would be spared of the pain they suffered when they were in China. However, the daughters feel that their mothers are too critical of them or interventing too much. They think that their mothers are narrow minded and do not understand the American culture. That is why their relationship was not that close. However, as each of the daughters reflect on their past experiences and the stories each of their mother share, they manage to blend their Chinese heritage together with the present American culture. They grow and mature as they become appreciative of their heritage and realize the importance of it as one should never forget their roots.

• Individual vs. Society

-   The conflict between individual and society can be seen as well. There are a number of examples of this conflict being portrayed in the film. The mothers are the individuals that defy society with their societal traditions and norms. The mothers in The Joy Luck Club suffered a great deal when they were in China due to restrictions caused by the Chinese society’s traditions. With this, they are oppressed by people especially men. They are unable to live in a way which they could experience freedom. They are expected to be submissive to men and not do anything if they are taken advantage of. For example, Lindo had to live in a loveless marriage and be treated like a servant by her mother-in-law. Therefore, fed up of being treated in such manner, she tricks her mother-in-law using superstition that her mother-in-law believes in. With this, she manages to escape her marriage without dishonoring herself. She defies societal norms that expect women to stay quiet and do nothing about whatever ordeal they go through. The other mothers also try to change their unfortunate fate of being controlled by social standards by going against them so that they can live better lives.  Quotations “No one believed she was raped. Not even her own mother. She had nothing. No one would take her in. No one would give her work.”  - When a woman is raped, she loses everything in life. She is treated like she is nothing because her dignity has been robbed.   “I am the husband. I make all the decisions. You sleep on the floor. Do it! Do it now!”  “The next few years, I tried to accept my life, to act like an obedient wife. Every night, I made Huang Tai Tai special soup, good for mother-in-laws. Still, she was not pleased.”  - A woman is supposed to be obedient and listen to orders by people who are ranked higher than her. For example, her husband and her in-laws. This restricts the woman's rights and freedom in life. “I-I don’t really care. I--I just want you to... be happy.” “It’s just that once in a while...I would like to hear what you want.” “You used to have an opinion.” “Every time you give him gift, like begging. “Take this. Oh, sorry. Please forgive me. I’m not worth as much as you.”’ - Women lose their independence. They rely on others to make decisions for them. In this case, Rose depends on her husband, Ted, to make decisions in the household.  "I always knew you were a jerk, but, shit, this is the first time in my life I've been ashamed of you." "How dare you use that language. I think you'd better apologize right now." "I'm sorry Mom, you made a fucking asshole out of yourself in front of the woman I love!" - Ted scolds his mum for talking to Rose with racist connotations. We see Asian-Americans being discriminated for being of Asian heritage.  "Where are my grandsons, huh? My son says he's planted enough seeds in you to fill a basket, plenty for ten thousand grandsons! It's all your fault, always running around, letting my son's seeds spill out. From now on you lie in bed all day. Lie down! Lie down! Until my grandson comes! Do you hear me? Disgusting little thing!" - Lindo is being scolded by her mother-in-law as she has been unable to bear a child for her husband. We see that women are not respected but only treated as objects that are responsible to bear children.  "I tell you the story because I was raised the Chinese way. I was taught to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery, and to eat my own bitterness. And even though I taught my daughter the opposite, still she came out the same way. Maybe it is because she was born to me and she was born a girl, and I was born to my mother and I was born a girl, all of us like stairs, one step after another, going up, going down, but always going the same way. No, this cannot be, this not knowing what you're worth, this not begin with you. My mother not know her worth until too late - too late for her, but not for me. Now we will see if not too late for you, hmm?" - We see the Chinese traditions affecting females. They are expected to desire nothing, to swallow other people's misery and to accept their own ill fate. It is because they are born as females, they are supposed to go through such ordeal. They cannot change it because they are bound by the strict traditions.  Lens Gender Lens - In the film, we see that there is usage of the gender lens. The film focuses on the women and their experiences. Their experiences consist mainly of painful events. They suffer mainly because of the exploitation of the female gender. The mothers will be a good example for this fact. As they grew up in China during the 1920s, they live in a society bound by traditions from their culture and heritage. From this, the women suffered. The tradition within the society is a patriarchal system. Emphasis is placed on males and the males are given privileges and priorities. Therefore, the women are exploited. They are expected to have no opinion or to stand up for themselves and the equality that they deserve. They are just expected to listen to the elderly and men. In marriage, they are unable to have a say if their husbands are cheating on them. This is a case that is evident in The Joy Luck Club as Ying Ying went through such an experience. Lindo, one of the mothers in this film, suffered as she was stuck in a loveless marriage. She is married off into this marriage and she has to deal with her mother-in-law’s tyranny. Thus, we see that these women went through much pain as they lived being bound by strict traditions where no importance was placed on the female gender. Due to it, they have no control over their lives and have to continue living under such circumstances. Furthermore, the women are also shown to need men’s support in their lives. Rose, one of the daughters, is a timid woman. She is unable to voice out her opinions. With this, she always needs her husband, Ted’s support. He has to make the decisions all the time. She continues to play the ‘victim’ while he acts as the ‘hero’ to save her. Thus, the film does accentuate the sufferings and exploitation of Asian or ethnically Asian women. The Asian female stereotype that is they are the weaker sex compared to males is further promoted through this film. With this, it leaves viewers to contemplate to challenge the stereotype and achieve gender equality in today’s modern society.  BACK TO THE TOP

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Memoirs of a Geisha - Personal Notes and Analysis

Biography of the Author

Arthur Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and was educated at Harvard College, where he received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980, he earned an M.A. in Japanese history from Columbia University, where he also learned Mandarin Chinese. Following a summer at Beijing University, he worked in Tokyo, and, after returning to the United States, earned an M.A. in English from Boston University. He is the author of Memoirs of a Geisha, which was adapted into a film in 2005. He resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children. 

Source: "Arthur Golden Biography, plus Links to Book Reviews and Book Excerpts from Books by Arthur Golden." BookBrowse.com. n.p., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. 

Themes

• Slavery 

The theme of slavery can be seen in this novel. Little children are bought and sold to different people. In Memoirs of a Geisha, it is evident that the main character of the novel, Sayuri or known back then as Chiyo was sold off together with her elder sister, Satsu. This is because they were from a poverty-stricken family. Their father is unable support them anymore whereas their ailing mother is going to die soon. Therefore, the elder sister was sold off to a brothel to become a prostitute whereas Chiyo was sold off to an okiya, which is the house of a geisha. Chiyo worked as a maid in the okiya but soon began her training to become a geisha. Chiyo was treated as a slave as she had no voice but to only listen to people’s orders. She also has to pay her dues and debt in order to obtain her freedom. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of these women who become geishas will never be free again as their debt is too high of a price. Geishas become slaves as they would most probably never have the ability to earn freedom in their lives as they continue to serve as artists. They are bound to restrictions and they will never have the ability to truly experience freedom. In their respective okiyas, they basically live as slaves. If the geishas are bought as mistresses to men who are known to be their danna, they will continue serving the men. They are not free to find true love and immerse themselves in the world of romance. Some may fall in love with their dannas but many do not. Like Sayuri, she was not in love with her first danna, General Tottori. She was in love with the Chairman, Iwamura Ken. She was never truly happy as her feelings for the Chairman lingered on and she would always find a way to be closer with him. 

• Exploitation of the female gender

In this novel, we can see the clear description of exploitation of the female gender. Geishas are always associated with sexual favours. This is not true but it is not entirely false as well. Geishas are not allowed to perform sexual favours but unfortunately, some do as they are promised more money by their clients, the men. The virginity of a geisha apprentice (Maiko) is also put up for sale. The ceremony where a man takes the apprentice’s virginity is known as mizuage. It is believed that the mizuage is a coming-of-age ceremony for the apprentice. Wealthy men who are interested in the apprentice would bid on her virginity so that the apprentice can ‘grow up’ to become a woman and in turn, a full- fledged geisha. This shows how men exploit women with their mentality that a woman can be bought with money. On the other hand, women are exploited again as they become prostitutes. Prostitutes are paid handsomely compared to other jobs and this creates a notion that women can only earn well through sex. They have been exploited by the dominant male gender. They have no say or voice as the men are the people who have control over them. In conclusion, women in that era were easily exploited by members of the community especially men. Their needs were not catered and they were not given whatever support they needed or deserved. 

• Classes within society

There is also the theme of classes within society which can be seen through this novel. The different classes within society are portrayed very vividly. In a fishing village such as Yoroido in Japan, the people are suffering from poverty and struggle on a daily basis. On the other hand, the people in Kyoto live a much better life. People are able to enjoy the luxuries of life. For example, men are able to pay huge sums of money just to be entertained by geishas. They are able to pay for sexual services as well as enjoy watching plays. This shows a clear divide between the lifestyles of different classes within society. Furthermore, it can be seen that there are different classes within the same community. For example, geishas who are more successful will frown upon geishas who are less successful. They would discriminate against less successful geishas as treat them as they are a class lower and undeserving of respect. For example, Hatsumomo, a successful geisha, would always look down on other geishas. When she feels threatened by a geisha that could be more successful than her, she plots a scheme against that geisha. Hatsumomo would always bully Chiyo/Sayuri because she feels threatened by her. She was not fond of Mameha as well because Mameha was a more successful geisha. When Sayuri was adopted by Mother, her rank became higher than Hatsumomo. She had the power over Hatsumomo and Hatsumomo would not be able to bully her anymore. This clearly shows that there are classes within society. The lower ranked society were exploited whereas the higher ranked society exploited. 

Settings

• Time Period 

Memoirs of a Geisha is set during the early 20th century. It takes place in 1929, which is after the Japanese war. The story continues until after World War II where Sayuri ends with a reflection on her life as she lives in New York. 

• Geographic Location

Memoirs of a Geisha begins in a poor fishing village in Yoroido, Japan. This was where the protagonist, Chiyo grew up until she was sold to an okiya. The next part of her life takes place in Gion, which is a suburb of Kyoto, Japan. There are places like the city of Kyoto, Osaka, Nagasaki, Tokyo, and Senzuru that are geographic locations in the novel as well. The novel ends with Sayuri living in New York City, United States of America where she ends her life story as a geisha. 

• Mood 

The mood of the novel is melancholic and romantic. The novel is written in the first person view. Therefore, as the protagonist is reliving her story, we see traits of melancholy as well as romanticism. 

• Social Conditions 

From the novel, we can see that the story takes place after the Japanese war. This was a period where the poor were really poor and struggle throughout their daily lives whereas the rich were really rich and was able to enjoy the luxuries of life. The story extends until World War II which was a period of crisis. Everyone in Japan struggled in their lives in aspects such as food, money, jobs and such. Many lives were sacrificed due to the war and after the war, Japan was in dire need of redevelopment. 

• Emotional Conditions 

In Memoirs of a Geisha, the story is told from a first person view. The narrator of the story is Nitta Sayuri formerly known as Chiyo Sakomoto. Her voice in the story expresses a sense of wisdom and quiet emotion. Her life experiences have taught her many things and now she reflects upon them with an understanding that has grown throughout the years. She does not have a full understanding of the other characters’ emotions as the focus is on hers. However, from her narration, we can see that the people of Japan during that period are working hard to rise and develop themselves. The poor people are sad and struggle to try their best through their hardships. The rich people are enjoying the luxuries of life and are filled with happiness. However, as World War II starts, everyone no matter poor or rich are thrown into a state of crisis. The whole situation was bleak and everyone was in a state of depression. In the end of the novel, as Sayuri makes her final words, we see that she has an understanding of the events in her life and ends with a message of hope. 


Character Analysis

• Chiyo Sakamoto/ Nitta Sayuri 

- Chiyo is the main protagonist of this novel. The novel starts with her telling her story when she was a nine year old girl and how she became a geisha. She had very unique eyes as they were unusually grayish-blue instead of the norm that is dark brown. She was born in a small fishing village called Yoroido where she lived as a normal young girl with her family. She faces a turning point in her life when she and her elder sister were sold off with her being sold into a geisha house. She then becomes determined to free herself and reunite with her sister. She proves to be a very strong as well as poetic person. She was born in the year of the Monkey, which means that she is a smart person. - Chiyo is also a very imaginative person. In her childhood, her imagination led her to believe that she and her sister, Satsu will be adopted by Mr. Tanaka. Instead, they were sold off. Chiyo was sold off to an okiya whereas Satsu was sold off to a brothel as a prostitute. 

- Chiyo was often bullied by Hatsumomo, a geisha in the okiya she lives in. Hatsumomo wanted to destroy her life as a geisha and she continued doing it for many years to make Chiyo suffer.
 
- A meeting with the famous and successful geisha, Mameha changes Chiyo’s life as Mameha volunteers to take her on as a ‘little sister.’ With Mameha’s skill, Chiyo changes into Sayuri and is able to become one of the top geishas in Gion. Mameha carefully trains Sayuri so that she is able to handle and survive the cruel and brutal geisha world. 

- Early in her life, before Chiyo became a geisha, she meets a man that she calls ‘The Chairman’. As she showed compassion and kindness towards her, she secretly falls in love with him. Therefore, her desicion to become a geisha and many of her actions throughout her career are a reflection of her inner desire to be close with the Chairman. Sometimes, as she is too caught up to be closer with the Chairman, she sabotages her career as well as Mameha’s plans for her. 

- Sayuri knows how to socialize with men well. She learns to recognize the good people in her life, and she values friendship. This is the reason that Sayuri comes upon a difficult decision as she wants to avoid having Nobu, her dear friend as her danna due to her feelings for the Chairman but she does not want to hurt him and sacrifice their friendship. In the end, her years of longing for the Chairman are rewarded when he becomes her danna until his death. 

• Mameha

- Mameha is one of the most famous and successful geishas in Japan. 

- She had the highest mizuage on record until Sayuri’s mizuage broke the record. 

- She agrees to adopt Chiyo as her ‘little sister’ and gave her the name, Sayuri as her geisha name. 

- Although she is not as pretty as Hatsumomo, she is kinder and wiser and this is proven by her actions towards the people around her. 

- She makes more money than Hatsumomo because she has a danna. She has also gained independence which then allows to live on her own in an apartment rather than an okiya. 

• The Chairman (Iwamura Ken) 

- Iwamura Ken is referred to as ‘The Chairman’ in the novel. He is the head of an electric company in Japan known as Iwamura Electric. He began working in the industry when he was a teenager. When he invented a special socket that is the two-bulb socket, the electric company that he was working for would not produce them. Therefore, he started his own company. The company struggles for a few years until he meets Nobu who he collaborates with on a military base project. The two then become friends and partners. The company grows tremendously due to their partnership. 

- The Chairman’s meeting with Sayuri touched him that he asks Mameha’s assistance in Sayuri’s career. He desired to be in Sayuri’s life when the time is right. Unfortunately, when Mameha and Sayuri begin entertaining for Iwamura Electric, his friend and partner, Nobu is interested in Sayuri. Due to the difficulties that Nobu has faced in his life and how much the Chairman owes him, the Chairman refuses to cause disappointment and chooses not to interfere in the relationship between Nobu and Sayuri. 

- However, when he finds out that Sayuri and Nobu will not enter into a danna relationship, the Chairman confesses his feelings for Sayuri. He then becomes Sayuri’s danna. They have an illegitimate son together and in order to protect his company’s interest, Sayuri moves to New York together with their son. 

• Hatsumomo 

- Hatsumomo is an attractive geisha and survives as a geisha on her looks. 

- Underneath her beauty, she is filled with cruelty and hatred. She views Sayuri as a threat and schemes to make it impossible for Sayuri to become a successful geisha. 

- There is a rivalry between Mameha and Hatsumomo as well. Hence, when Mameha adopts Sayuri as her ‘little sister’, it is presumed by Sayuri that Mameha’s actions are to get revenge on Hatsumomo. - In the end, Mameha and Sayuri manage to destroy Hatsumomo. Hatsumomo is trapped in self-destruction with the amount of jealousy and hatred she carries. 

- Hatsumomo is thrown out from the okiya and resorts to prostitution. 

- It is implied that she drinked herself to death with too much sake. 

• Toshikazu Nobu 

- Nobu is the president of Iwamura Electric and a close and loyal friend of the Chairman. As the president, he proves to be a brilliant businessman. 

- Due to a military accident, he is missing an arm and has burn scars on his face and body. 

- He is a logical yet impatient man. However, he is extremely loyal and kind to the people he respects. 

- He believes that Sayuri has more character than most geishas. With that, he wants to become her danna. However, when he discovers the truth about Sayuri’s disloyalty, he becomes enraged and discards her from his life. This then allows the Chairman to step forward and become Sayuri’s danna. 

• Nitta Kayoko (Mother)

- Mother is the head of the okiya that purchases Sayuri. 

- She is an ugly woman and this is what made her an unsuccessful geisha. Now, she makes her living running the okiya. The only prominent thing in Mother’s life is money. 

- Although she knows that Hatsumomo is manipulative and a liar, she only helps Sayuri when it provides her with financial advantage. 

- She adopts Sayuri as her daughter. 

- During World War II, she earns quite a sum of money in the ‘grey market’. 

- After the war, she reopens the okiya. 

• Dr. Crab 

- Dr. Crab is a physician in the Gion district. He is called ‘Dr. Crab’ as he hunches his shoulders and sticks out his elbows. 

- He has a particular interest in winning apprentice geishas' mizuage, or virginity. 

- Mameha uses Dr. Crab's reputation as a ‘mizuage specialist’ to increase the price of Sayuri's mizuage. 

- He keeps a specimen of the apprentice geishas’ blood released during the mizuage ceremony. 

• Pumpkin 

- Sayuri nicknames the other girl her age at the okiya, ‘Pumpkin’. 

- Her name ‘Pumpkin’ stays with her even into her geisha years. 

- She begins working at the okiya as a maid until she begins geisha tranining. 

- She is not particularly intelligent. She has difficulty mastering the skills taught at geisha schools. 

- She becomes Hatsumomo’s ‘little sister’ and is constantly dominated by Hatsumomo. 

- Pumpkin and Sayuri are friends until their apprenticeships forces them to compete with each other. The rivalry generates bitterness and hatred in Pumpkin, who then sabotages Sayuri's plan to betray Nobu. Pumpkin seeks for revenge because Mother adopted Sayuri as the daughter of the okiya after the position is promised to her. 

• General Tottori 

- General Tottori becomes Sayuri's danna. His position in the military makes him an attractive danna prospect. 

- During the war, prices of items are rising and are being rationed. He is able to provide things for the okiya.
 
- He provides for Sayuri and the okiya until his arrest. 

Conflicts

• Individual vs. Individual 

- The conflict between an individual and another individual can be seen in the novel. This conflict can be seen between Sayuri and Hatsumomo. When Sayuri first arrives at the okiya, Hatsumomo knew that Sayuri would be her competition. This is because Sayuri has grayish-blue eyes which are every unusual and make her unique and pretty. Hatsumomo feels jealous and sets out to destroy Sayuri’s life. Sayuri is constantly bullied in the okiya. Hatsumomo will always frame her for actions she has not done as well as calling her ‘Little Miss Stupid’. Hatsumomo will do whatever it takes so that Sayuri’s career as a geisha is destroyed. When Sayuri is adopted as the daughter of the okiya, she finally holds power over Hatsumomo. She is able to stand up to Hatsumomo and is no longer fearful of her. 

• Individual vs. Self 

- The conflict between an individual and oneself can also be seen in this novel. This conflict would be between Sayuri and herself. In her early years, she met a man who she refers to as the Chairman. Ever since that meeting with him, she has developed feelings for him that drives her to become a geisha. That man is Iwamura Ken, the chairman of Iwamura Electric. After meeting him again, she wants to be with him. However, when Nobu would most likely be her danna, she contemplates to betray his trust and friendship to be with the Chairman. She went back and forth between decisions to betray Nobu. In the end, she did and that is why Nobu throws her out from his life. With this, the Chairman seizes the oppurtunity to be Sayuri’s danna and be with her. 

Quotations

“......was the very best afternoon of my life, and also the very worst afternoon.”...” (Page 14) 


- How is it her best afternoon as well as the worst? Did the afternoon significantly change her life or left a deep impact that changes who she is?


“...If I had never known him, I’m sure I would not have become a geisha...” (Page 14)


- How does her meeting with him made her become a geisha?


“...Instead of being dark brown like everyone else’s, my mother’s eyes were a translucent gray, and mine are just the same...” (Page 16)


- Instead of having dark brown eyes like most Asians do, Chiyo’s eyes were like her mother’s, a translucent gray colour. This made her very unique and she captured people’s attention when they looked into her eyes.

“...My name back then was Chiyo. I wouldn’t be known by my geisha name, Sayuri, until years later...” (Page 19)


- She was originally named Chiyo. However, after becoming a geisha years later, she changed her name into Sayuri.


“...Was life nothing more than a storm that constantly washed away what had been there only a moment before, and left behind something barren and unrecognizable?...” (Page 21)


- Chiyo was feeling depressed after hearing news that her mother was going to pass away soon. Therefore, she thought to herself about life. Is life constantly changing that the after effect of the change is not known or unfamiliar to the person?


“...Fishermen are terribly superstitious, you see. They especially don’t like women to have anything to do with fishing...” (Page 24)


- Clear discrimination againt women within society

- Women are not treated as equals


“...Couldn’t the wrong sort of living turn anyone mean?...” (Page 126)


- Can someone change their attitude solely because of the events that took place in their lives?


“...This is why dreams can be such dangerous things...” (Page 140)


- Dreams can sometimes help us by motivating us to achieve them. However, sometimes dreams can be bad as well as they affect us deeply that it becomes hard for us to live as usual.

“...I made the shift from being an apprentice to being a geisha...” (Page 374)


- This is a momentous event in Sayuri’s life. She is now a full-fledged geisha instead of being an apprentice in training.


“...Since moving to New York I’ve learned what the word “geisha” really means to most Westerners...” (Page 375)


- Most Westerners have the perception that geisha are synonymous with prostitutes. However, this is false as geishas are entertainers or artists.


“...”Didn’t you ever wonder why Mameha became your older sister?” he asked me...” (Page 532)


- Here, Sayuri discovers the truth behind everything. She realizes that she became Mameha’s ‘little sister’ because the Chairman asked Mameha to do so. The Chairman has always had feelings towards Sayuri and longs to be with her.

Lens

• Gender Lens

- In the novel, we see the gender lens heavily applied. Firstly, we see that women are individuals who are exploited by people, namely the male individuals. They are taken advantage in a sexual aspect. The notion in the society is that women would have to use their physical assets to be able to lead a comfortable life. Geishas, for example, are supposed to entertain men using their skills. The geishas who are pretty would be more favourable among the men and therefore, be more successful. The geisha would then be able to have a more comfortable and luxurious life. When men take a very deep interest in a geisha, he will offer to be her danna (caretaker). She will then be his mistress and continue to serve him as long he is her danna. For apprentice geishas, when it comes to their mizuage ceremony, men will bid on their virginity. Furthermore, many women become prostitutes as well in brothels. They become prostitutes so that they can earn more money and have a comfortable life. They do not have to work hard and struggle to earn sufficient money. In conclusion, this shows that women are oppressed by men in society. This novel focuses on the female society in Japan during the 1920s and the years following. They are taken advantage sexually. It shows that women are nothing more than sex objects meant to pleasure men with their desires and lust. It can be said that each women has a price and it depends on their physical attributes. Moreover, women are also portrayed as individuals who need support from men. To lead a comfortable life, geishas need a danna who will provide for them. This means that women have no chance to support themselves through their own hard work and determination. Women also lack freedom and independence in their lives. They have little control over their lives as men are the individuals who have a say in everything. They are just expected to serve men. They have no chance to truly experience freedom as independent women. Hence, this novel promotes and perpetuates the Asian female stereotype that is perceived as submissive individuals who have no voice for themselves.  

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