This “transgression” allows Sayuri to break free of the oppressive norms that privilege a client’s desires as more important than a geisha’s. She does so when she neglects the traditions of the geisha by sleeping with a man who is not her danna, thereby betraying her loyal client Nobu. Thus, by the end of the novel, Sayuri must, in a sense, relearn her childhood disregard of the rules. For example, the social norms that prevent geisha from expressing themselves make her feel incapable of voicing her affection for the Chairman.
#MEMORIES OF A GEISHA DEFINITION HOW TO#
Though she only learned the traditions in order to make use of them, she begins to rely on them so much that she forgets how to break the rules when necessary. These practices, moreover, become a constrictive force for Sayuri. Thus the geisha only adopt these traditions as a way of succeeding in a society that allows them few other paths for autonomy. Yet it is also evident on a more day-to-day level, in that traditional geisha are forced to conform to the fantasies of their male clientele, who want the women to remain beautiful objects or playthings for their amusement, rather than nuanced and complicated human beings with their own desires and dreams. This is made most obvious in the fact that it is traditional for a teenaged geisha-in-training to lose her virginity to the man who pays the most to sleep with her. This practical use of tradition suggests that geisha, at some level, know that the established practices of their profession are oppressive towards women. Instead, Sayuri and the other geisha use tradition as a means to an end-by perfectly embodying these traditions, Sayuri can live up to the expectations of her clients and, in doing so, achieve a modicum of financial security. Over time, Sayuri learns to master these traditions, becoming the most successful geisha in Kyoto.įor Sayuri, as well as most geisha in the novel, tradition rarely seems to have value in itself. By focusing on a character who is completely ignorant of geisha practices, the novel is able to more thoroughly explore and represent them-because the protagonist (like the average Western reader) must learn them for the first time as well. Sayuri enters the geisha world as a complete novice who is unfamiliar with how an apprentice geisha must act or speak to those around her. Throughout the novel, Sayuri must navigate the social terrain of these customs, learning when to abide by tradition and when to flout it. From the daily interactions with male clients to the ceremony of losing her virginity, tradition and ritual govern almost every facet of the geisha’s life.
0 kommentar(er)
