1 Dwight Little 3/13/2014 Lang 3750 New Women in Japanese Lit. Literary Analysis o !

o"sewi#es$ %he &mile o a 'o"ntain Wit(h

%he arti(le )!o"sewi#es$ %he &mile o a 'o"ntain Wit(h* +y ,atri(ia 'orley e-plores the #iews o Japanese women on marriage an. its ("lt"ral ne(essity or women in Japan as a whole. %he a"thor also "ses the story/ )%he &mile o a 'o"ntain Wit(h* +y 'ina0o 1+a an. a ew other stories +y 1+a to she. light on many o the ("lt"ral (hains that ha#e +o"n. not not only Japanese women/ +"t all Japanese people or years. %he a"thor .oes an e-(ellent 2o+ o pointing o"t to the rea.er many o Japan3s ("lt"ral #i(es that ha#e to .o with marriage. 'orley +egins the arti(le +y .is("ssing the Japanese e#erywoman3s ("lt"ral nee. or marriage. %he a"thor points o"t a han. "l o e-amples that .raw attention to this nee.. %here are a (o"ple o these whi(h seem a +it s"rprising. %he irst one +eing that (hoosing a spo"se has +e(ome the more (ommon way or +e(oming marrie./ rather than arrange. marriage. %he ne-t is that women are willing to pay so m"(h money to in. marriage. %hese a(ts mainly s"rprise me +e(a"se a((or.ing to 4alman D. Appl+a"m3s arti(le )'arriage with the proper stranger$ arrange. marriage in metropolitan Japan* many yo"ng people in the 15503s ha. tro"+le with in.ing a marriage partner/ lea.ing to a )'arriage Dro"ght*6Appl+a"m 15557. 8t3s #ery interesting that .espite the e orts p"t into sear(hing or a marriage/ as gi#en e-ample +y the a"thor/ that there was so m"(h .i i("lty in in.ing a partner. %he a"thor also el".es to this (on(l"sion +y .es(ri+ing the .i i("lty in Japanese men an. women meeting +e(a"se o the

2 long ho"rs wor0e. +y most men. 'orley seems to hint a +it at money +eing an important part in the Japanese woman3s .esire to marry a((or.ing to the arti(le. &he states that women loo0 or height/ money/ an. e."(ation/ then goes on to say that lan. is e-tremely har. to (ome +y witho"t money. &he then in orms the rea.er that 70 per(ent o people in 2apan .ream o ha#ing a .eta(he. ho"se with a garage. %his implies that sin(e the a#erage Japanese woman is o+ligate. to marry an. )... (onsi.ers marriage an. motherhoo. to (onstit"te her real (areer/* that they nee. to marry a man who is a+le to pro#i.e this .ream to them. %here are e#en more o+ligations/ not only or women/ or Japanese people to +e(ome marrie. other than ("lt"ral norms. 9"lt"ral a((eptan(e is also a ma2or (on(ern or people loo0ing or marriage. Japanese people/ in their own so(iety/ are not (onsi.ere. a."lts "ntil they are marrie.. 'en who aren3t marrie. past 30 are .eeme. "ntr"stworthy: women who aren3t marrie. +y the age o 25 are la+ele. a .e(aying (a0e6Appl+a"m 15557. %his press"re a..s e#en more importan(e to the i.ea o +eing marrie./ an. also a..s somewhat o a .ea.line. Japanese amilies are also another topi( that 'orley to"(hes airly well on. &he writes a+o"t the e-pe(tations an. o+ligations o ea(h the h"s+an. an. the wi e. %he wi e is e-pe(te. to (oo0 2 meals/ ma0ing s"re that the oo. is resh/ an. prepare +aths. !"s+an.s are re;"ire. to wor0 long ho"rs an. a.here to whate#er .eman.s that their employer iss"es to them. %hese e-pe(tations are airly .eman.ing. Also/ .espite the a(t that ("lt"ral norms are (hanging/ they3re (hanging #ery slowly an. are m"(h more rigi. than other .e#elope. (o"ntries. <e(a"se o this Japanese people are s"+2e(t to e#en "rther ("lt"ral press"res. 8n re(ent years 'orley points o"t that wi#es ha#e more an. more gaine. (ontrol o the amily3s +".get. 8t is e-presse. in the arti(le that women eel that they are not "lly tr"ste.

3 with the +".get/ or the a(t that the h"s+an. +e(omes more in#ol#e. as the pri(e o the inan(ial .e(ision is raise.. 1thers/ li0e A+e/ #iew this shi t as an empowerment o women. %his (o"l. also +e seen as another press"re that Japanese wi#es ha#e to "l ill ."ti "lly an. "n;"estiona+ly. With a weight now li te. rom the h"s+an. +y the wi#es now +alan(ing the amily +".get/ ah new tas0 or the h"s+an. is a..e.. 'orley gi#es "s the press"res that men a(e in their 2o+s. A parti("lar press"re/ that a..s m"(h strain to most Japanese amilies/ 'orley (alls the )tanshin "nin* or the (ompany trans er. %his pattern is airly .etrimental or any amily/ sin(e the h"s+an. is "s"ally s"+2e(t to mo#ing alone ."e to (on(ern a+o"t their (hil.3s e."(ation. %his (an lea. to (hil.ren not seeing their athers or long perio.s o time whi(h some resear(h shows (an (a"se (hil.ren to ha#e pro+lems in their teens. %his (an also a.. more strain on the wi e as well. Wi#es are e-pe(te. to either #isit their h"s+an. to (oo0/ (lean an. .o la"n.ry or their h"s+an. or lea#e it to a mistress to .o it. 'ina0o 1+a/ a Japanese (ontemporary writer/ is re eren(e. to as an a"thor who3s i(tion o ten portrays the so(ial (on ines o the Japanese woman. 'orley spe(i i(ally o("ses on 1+a3s )%he &mile o a 'o"ntain Wit(h.* A tale +y whi(h/ "pon re le(ting "pon 1+a3s li e/ we (an (on(l".e was inten.e. to +e seen as satiri(al. Altho"gh the main (hara(ter o the story s" ers an. is or(e. into lea.ing a (ertain li e/ some Japanese women saw the main (hara(ter3s traits to .eal with s" ering as a.mira+le. 8t3s ;"ite ironi( or the a(t that this is the e-a(t opposite that she inten.e. to ha#e. 'orley also "ses two other rea.ings to gi#e the rea.er an i.ea a+o"t what 0in. o press"res Japanese women are ma.e to .eal with: )%he ,ale =o-* also +y 'ina0o 1+a an. )9hil. o =ort"ne* +y >"0o %s"shima. 'orley wraps "p the arti(le +y to"(hing on the slow an. s"+tle re+ellion against (on ormity. &he hints that the re(ent .rops in +irthrate are a (a"se o the (hanging #iews on

4 ("lt"ral norms in so(iety. Appl+a"m also noti(es this tren. o +irthrate .rop in his arti(le an. mentions the go#ernment3s (on(ern or ha#ing eno"gh wor0ers to s"stain an aging pop"lation6Appl+a"m 15557. &he also states that there ha#e +een a raise in paternal awareness to their (hil.3s nee.s or a ather. %his may also +e a sign that the the ("lt"ral +in.s that Japanese people ha#e +een a(ing (o"l. +e loosening its grip on the "p(oming generations.

5 Wor0s 9ite. Morley, Patricia A. "Housewives: The Smile o a Mou!tai! "itch." The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women's Lives. #ew $or%: #ew $or% &P, 1'''. #. (a). Pri!t. A((l*aum, +alma! ,. Marriage with the Proper Stranger: Arranged Marriage in Metropolitan Japan. Pitts*ur): &!iversity o Pitts*ur)h, ,e(artme!t o A!thro(olo)y, 1''5. Pri!t.