Post by Caden Hong on Oct 28, 2015 3:59:49 GMT
One of the customs in Kappaland that I found to be quite interesting and relatively out of the ordinary was the love-making techniques/process of the Kappas, found in chapter 6. It might be because of the lecture on love and sexuality, but I thought it was interesting to read about the concepts of “casual sex” and open sexuality in this book considering that it was first published in 1927. I’m not quite sure if Japan during the earlier parts of 20th century shared similar values of openness to sex and sexual expressions, or if they were more conservative in that field. But based on the narrator’s casual attitude on facilitating a conversation on sex makes me think that it may not have been too different than today.
At first I thought this chapter was a critique (in a satirical form) on a societal understanding of female sexuality. In a patriarchal society, regardless of location or time period, open expressions of female sexuality is viewed with repulsiveness (i.e. the tone of the narrator when he observes a she-Kappa chasing a male-Kappa with lust and passion) and is associated with promiscuity (i.e. when the narrator judges the she-Kappa for “hopp[ing] and plott[ing]” to manipulate the bigger Kappa to get rid of the smaller one so she can get together with him). The fact that she-Kappas were almost exclusively portrayed as if they were in constant heat and were incredibly sex-driven, especially during the chase, made it seem like their behaviors were completely different than that of a male-Kappa. This isn’t true because male-Kappas are just as capable of chasing a female Kappa to the extent that she does. Using this train of thought, I think this chapter could also be just a reproduction of Japan’s societal understanding on female sexuality.
Maybe Ryunosuke is mocking and criticizing the limited range of sexual expression that is socially and politically permitted to women. Or maybe Ryunosuke agrees with limiting female sexuality and is reflecting these beliefs in this book to promote a patriarchal agenda of control. I think it could be interpreted either way, but I would like to know what the writer’s intentions were when he wrote this chapter using the tone he did.
As a sidenote, I thought the aged Kappa’s condition (from chapter 16) was very similar to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Questions:
1. Do you buy that Mr. Tok’s spirit was actually present in Madame Hop’s body during the interview? They did mention that she was formerly “on stage” in her previous career, potentially as an actor (132).
2. If you were in the narrator’s situation, would you stay in Kappaland or leave once and for all?
At first I thought this chapter was a critique (in a satirical form) on a societal understanding of female sexuality. In a patriarchal society, regardless of location or time period, open expressions of female sexuality is viewed with repulsiveness (i.e. the tone of the narrator when he observes a she-Kappa chasing a male-Kappa with lust and passion) and is associated with promiscuity (i.e. when the narrator judges the she-Kappa for “hopp[ing] and plott[ing]” to manipulate the bigger Kappa to get rid of the smaller one so she can get together with him). The fact that she-Kappas were almost exclusively portrayed as if they were in constant heat and were incredibly sex-driven, especially during the chase, made it seem like their behaviors were completely different than that of a male-Kappa. This isn’t true because male-Kappas are just as capable of chasing a female Kappa to the extent that she does. Using this train of thought, I think this chapter could also be just a reproduction of Japan’s societal understanding on female sexuality.
Maybe Ryunosuke is mocking and criticizing the limited range of sexual expression that is socially and politically permitted to women. Or maybe Ryunosuke agrees with limiting female sexuality and is reflecting these beliefs in this book to promote a patriarchal agenda of control. I think it could be interpreted either way, but I would like to know what the writer’s intentions were when he wrote this chapter using the tone he did.
As a sidenote, I thought the aged Kappa’s condition (from chapter 16) was very similar to “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Questions:
1. Do you buy that Mr. Tok’s spirit was actually present in Madame Hop’s body during the interview? They did mention that she was formerly “on stage” in her previous career, potentially as an actor (132).
2. If you were in the narrator’s situation, would you stay in Kappaland or leave once and for all?