Post by I Lam on Oct 8, 2015 2:43:27 GMT
Tanizaki describes Aguri in such a way that for a good while I thought she might be some succubus-like existence, coldly draining one man after the next of life and riches. At a glance, Aguri is something rather sinister: her name in katakana means "ugly", despite all of her physical beauty--which seemed to blossom in tandem with Okada's withering away--and she wouldn't so much as flinch if he were to simply drop dead while accompanying her, except in displeasure over not having milked him for every penny. It seemed that who was beside her didn't matter so much as how much he could give her. He, on the same but more subtle note, never sees her so much as a person as an obsessively beautiful doll that he was to dress up and pleasure himself with. The story of Aguri itself is very grim and distrustful of relationships, focusing on two containers made only of desire using each other to reach the height of their madness. Yet it is written in such a way that a reader would typically feel sympathy for Okada while denouncing Aguri alone, as if commenting, 'the evil is in women, for they are sinister creatures that will draw out the worst in you, and lead to your downfall. Steer clear of them; avoid being blinded by their beauty.' And when Okada thought of his dead family members, it seemed as if he were knowingly self destructing in a world of regrets.
In Portrait of an Old Geisha, Kosono is likewise abundant in finances, but missing something. (Yet, she is far from being the victim this time, although she does become rather attached to Yuki, though in a similar way as Okada was to Aguri: as a toy.) In order to fulfill that void, she chooses to use the youthful Yuki, who appears at first full of passion and ambition. The irony is that, as she provides him with all his material needs and pushes him toward the reality of his dreams, he becomes just as she had been in her glorious years: comfortable, discouraged, and complacent. As she places hope and excitement on the new generation, she also places the burden of overcoming the hurdles of reality in chasing dreams. It's another give and take situation, though this one is a good deal less violent compared to Aguri. However, this story also seems to deal in the destruction of a man by a woman's hand--Yuki becomes complacent and fat from Kosono's pampering, and unravels before Michiko's seduction. It is only when he runs from the clutches of these two women that he feels free again, yet the desire to return to that place of indulgence remains, while they also try to reel him back.
My questions: Yuki obviously doesn't think very highly of Kosono's career, or Kosono herself, as I gather from his guesses about her intentions for taking him in. Do you think he ever once thought of Kosono as a motherly figure? Do you think more was taken from Yuki or Kosono's household under his stay? As for Aguri: do you think Aguri is even real, or just the fantasy of a long grieving man?
In Portrait of an Old Geisha, Kosono is likewise abundant in finances, but missing something. (Yet, she is far from being the victim this time, although she does become rather attached to Yuki, though in a similar way as Okada was to Aguri: as a toy.) In order to fulfill that void, she chooses to use the youthful Yuki, who appears at first full of passion and ambition. The irony is that, as she provides him with all his material needs and pushes him toward the reality of his dreams, he becomes just as she had been in her glorious years: comfortable, discouraged, and complacent. As she places hope and excitement on the new generation, she also places the burden of overcoming the hurdles of reality in chasing dreams. It's another give and take situation, though this one is a good deal less violent compared to Aguri. However, this story also seems to deal in the destruction of a man by a woman's hand--Yuki becomes complacent and fat from Kosono's pampering, and unravels before Michiko's seduction. It is only when he runs from the clutches of these two women that he feels free again, yet the desire to return to that place of indulgence remains, while they also try to reel him back.
My questions: Yuki obviously doesn't think very highly of Kosono's career, or Kosono herself, as I gather from his guesses about her intentions for taking him in. Do you think he ever once thought of Kosono as a motherly figure? Do you think more was taken from Yuki or Kosono's household under his stay? As for Aguri: do you think Aguri is even real, or just the fantasy of a long grieving man?
