Aguri and Portrait of An Old Geisha - Relationships

In both the relationship between Okada and Aguri and the one between Kosono and Yuki, there is a dynamic of the older one funding and generally taking care of the younger. Moreover, both relationships reflect love, although they differ in what kind. For Okada and Aguri, Okada constantly caters to all of Aguri's material desires, spending his money on her despite his worsening condition. For Kosono and Yuki, Kosono allows Yuki to stay with her and supplies both food and the materials he needs for experimentation. The main difference is that for Okada, the spending is not a way to encourage the other to pursue his interests uninhibited as with Yuki, but a substitute for the lack of actual common interests he and Aguri share. This is something which transfers to their relationships as well. While Okada treats Aguri in a way which could be considered caring, he is at the same time treating her almost as an object to dress up, a statue. As a result, their relationship is shallow and their love can be described more accurately as a fascination or a one way thing. This is something which Okada himself seems to know, as hinted by his multiple hallucinations of Aguri leaving or taking advantage of him. On the other hand, Kosono takes a more hands off approach with Yuki and vice versa. Still, despite being like this, I believe Kosono and Yuki have a stronger relationship than Okada and Aguri do. It's not clear from Kosono's words or actions exactly why she is doing all of this for Yuki; she doesn't really benefit in any tangible way by helping him. Maybe it's just me, but I think this is because Kosono actually has an altruistic side (despite having made a living as a geisha). In fact, I think this is why she and Yuki are okay when separated: unlike Okada and Aguri, they have something substantial enough to not need the constant presence of the other as reassurance.



Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think Aguri is more than she seems or knows more than she lets on?

2. Would you agree with the idea that the women feed off of the male characters in these stories?