: 4 Chios Brooks-Kistler Pi y OS JA 252 3 = Erieson ¥ >\ w ge w \ 21 February 2020 y 2 Tale of Genji: Themes of Sex and Power = \ The Tale of Genji written by 11th century noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki | Shikibu, tells the story of a young man named Genji, son of a Heian era emperor, and his Ht x Wok" | multiple love affairs and the consequences from these affair during this time period) The Tule of Genji offers an insight into how high society functioned during the Heian period in Japan. T1TS*“ 8 ‘American literary critic and feminist, Blaine Showalter defines gender as the “social, cultural, and psychological meaning imposed upon sexual identity”, while sexual identity refers to the “biological identity as a female or male”, meaning the sexual repoduetive organs a person has (Showalter, 1-2), Showalter then goes on to make the claim that there is an assumption that the differences between men and women allow them to be “separate/but equal”, but that this assumption can be proven wrong due to the fact there is “sexual asymmetry, inequality, and male dominance in every known society” (Showalter, 4). The claim that men and women are equal A WASveT UT HUTORY cannot be made because -who-conirol— the power, all power must come from a man in order to be considered legitimate. In The Tale of pictaTes. Genji, a major theme whieh-can_be found is how a person's gender retetes-to how much power they have, in both society and regarding their power over their personal agency. This theme can be found in relation to hw women fistrpeed jocnoseen-ty sosics, how Genji initiates his SOC ETAL EXPECTATIONS OF © Guns RPPROACH TYDovesnonces poe ovis ss AC a sexual relationships, and set women(areable-io-gain power through their relationships with men. In The Tale of Genji there are distinct set gender roles that both men and women must follow within society. A common role which can be found is the fact that women are often kept : . ACASTOORT e Hee hidden away from the public eye. High-seeiety women are supposed to live their lives within the fo communicate they write letters and poems which are 5 PAGE HT delivered by messengers (“Women, Sex, and Power: Theme Analysis"). Women did not have the screens and curtains of the palace right to go out and travel like men. For example, Aoi, Genji’s wife, must wait in her home for Genji to return to her, while he goes out and has relationships with other women. It is as if women are kept like pets in a home, always waiting for their “owners” to return. The analogy of women being kept as pets can also be used when the men in the story claim that a perfect wife should be “trainable” for her husband (Tale of Genji, 25). A woman must become perfect for her husband in order to please him. She has to achieve a balance of intelligence, beauty, social standing, and confidence in order to be perfecgshowever, Genji, who is considered to be the Groen “perfect man’ riddled with flaws which allow him to be human, while a woman must work to 3 ie Pow be like a perfect doll. Throughout the story, it is common for Genji to peer through the screens A peuBle and curtains to view women, By secretly staring at these women, he is invading their privacy, STAOARD without them even noticing it, thus taking their personal agency away from them. AS Similar to how Genji is able to stare at women anytime he wishes, he also able to engage an in sex with them whenever he pleases. For example, in chapter nine of The Tale of Genji, Genji has sex with Murasaki, a child princess. Before he and Murasaki had sex, he was a father figure is ANS PIVAN CU to her, helping her grow as a ¢hild and providing her with emotional support and also-gifts. On A | Ler | , ww ABov" URAL IE : BY TMs TME, = se lb, SO NO Low bat (Ss oR es istTHE STRUCTURE RE TOWe!e EDtT To REbULCE SAKE Anarize | the night that the two engaged in sex, Murasaki did not understand what was happenings. therefore she cannot consent to having sex with Genji. She is fearful and nervous, and he uses his charm to manipulate her into giving into him (The Tale of Genji, 102). Genji feels entitled to the young girls body and takes it as he pleases despite recognizing the fact that he knows what he is doing is Lo (Ihe Tale of Genji, 102). Inthe aine adaptation of The Tale of Genji, there are ‘two scenes in which Genji uses his male dominance over a woman to force her into a sexual situation. Around twenty-three minutes into the film, Genji arrives at Princess Fujitsubo’s room and rips her clothes off of her while she is trying to get away from his touch (Sugii, The Tale of WIT Lorom :21-26:38). Princess Fujitsubo is Genji’s stepmother whe he has an intimate “A Genji, 2 teationship yith, She tries to push him away because she knows that by being with him she rsks losing her soval standing’ however he doesnot care about ths and il Fels ented to having sex with her, The consequences do not matter to him. Inthe next scene, Genji starts out by peering through the screens to look at another woman (Sugii, The Tale of Genji, 44:36-47:10). He then enters her room without her permission and tells her “It is useless to cry out. No matter what I do I am allowed to do it” (Sugii, The Tale of Genji, 44:36-47:10). He exterts his power OBoROTVUETO Wow oF THE MISTY MOON ‘One could argue the fact that women are using sex in order to gain power in The Tale of ‘over the woman and has sex with her. — 4our isowever, for their power to actully be recognized it has to be grited by aman. Inthe Tex) S n story, there is the character of the Akashi Lady, a woman from lower standing who has a sexual > a relationship with Genji and conceives a baby girl from the relationship. After learning about his daughter, Genji promises to allow both the Akashi Lady and the baby to come live in the palace with him, thus giving the Akashi Lady a higher|standing in society through Genji “Women, Sex, eo P wK Ae pel we ‘ora? Se Ea roSHE DECLWES, LUOTIMEBATED Y and Power: Theme Analysis"). However, this promise is never kept, so the woman is not able °¢ gain power because a man did not grant her the legitimacy. Another case of a woman having to get her power through men is with Princess Fujitsibo. In order to keep the power she has through her marriage to the emperor, she must lie about the fact her son is the result of her affair with Genji. If it were to come out that she cheated on the emperor, she would lose her standing. She ‘must constantly live in fear of Genji visiting her and getting caught with him. Genji does not OrTES respect her wishes to be left alone and shows up in her room plenty of times, risking her power. Al Showalter’s definitions lof gender and sex revolving around the fact that societies are chen Se | rooted in male dominationfs learly backed up by the stories told in The Tale of Genji. The Yale 7 KE of Genii shows themuerr rid thatthe Heian period of Japan was atime in which women ae ret not have power due to the gender roles of the society. The women in the story are there to is 0 é provide power for Genji to exert over and they are plot devices used to make his story continue. we A VGRM THeLEHTEUL ESSAY, Ror Dheveror ve tieestS te Boer U GREW of sonore as ve" Ls juve? SPOWAY wit Ton. (I TERACT Se ee VARY Tour SEvTvee LTRIEWREWorks Cited Sugii, Gisabur6, director. The Tale of Genji . Central Park Media, 1995. “Women, Sex, and Power: Theme Analysi LitCharts, LitCharts, DATE