In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom

Cindy Xia
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In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom Sept 16, 2015 23:14:51 GMT

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Post by Cindy Xia on Sept 16, 2015 23:14:51 GMT

As I was reading this story, I found it weird and creepy at the same time. I was suspicious of the eighth wife when she started to demand things from the thief after he had killed her husband. Most people would be terrified and wary if someone had killed their significant other and would of course reject the idea of becoming their wife. However, she did not. She demanded the murderer to do things such as behead others for her own enjoyment. Not only that, she played with the heads he had behead which adds to the creepiness.

I was also wondering why the cherry blossom trees were so important and why travelers feared going pass the trees. According to a website on google, cherry blossom were admired by samurais because of their short-lived lives and representation of blood drops (http://www.enkivillage.com/cherry-blossom-meaning.html). I think this makes sense because as the story progresses we read the murders of others how short of a life they had lived. The website also mentioned the cherry blossoms meaning of sudden death. As we had read, these murders were all sudden deaths and so was the eighth wife’s death.

Overall, I thought this story was really frustrating to read because of the eighth wife’s greediness. I also couldn’t understand why the thief listened to her and why the eighth wife is so obsessed with ugliness.

A question I would like to ask is why is she the eighth wife? Why can’t she be another number wife (ex: ninth wife, third wife, etc)?

Airy Yeh
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In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom Sept 17, 2015 0:06:30 GMT

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Post by Airy Yeh on Sept 17, 2015 0:06:30 GMT

I agree with you that it was a creepy story to read. I thought it was disgusting and sick when the woman was playing with the heads. I did not know that cherry blossoms were associated with deaths and blood drops. It fits in with the story because the story contains many murder. Death is definitely a theme in this story. After reading your finding about how the cherry blossoms are short-lived, I think that the cherry trees symbolizes how short life is and how the bandit felt sadness and loneliness after the death of the woman whom he so cherished, whether she was real or imaginary for him. I would guess that she was the eighth wife because seven is a large number of people to kill. I know that in Japanese, numbers often mean something else, such as the number 4 meaning death (because you read it "shi" and "shi" also means death), but I cannot think of anything associated with 8.

angelina kurganska
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In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom Sept 17, 2015 6:02:29 GMT

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Post by angelina kurganska on Sept 17, 2015 6:02:29 GMT

i think the information you found on the cherry blossoms is very interested and helps add new meaning to this story that I would normally not think about.
i also think its interesting that you took into account that the woman was his eighth wife. while reading the story i didnt pay this fact much attention, but now thinking about it the only thing that comes to mind is that 8 symbolizes infinity around the world. however i cannot be sure that in japan people associate 8 with infinity as much as in other countries. even so, if we do suppose that there is meaning behind this i think that it makes sense in regards to the wife. she came to be his infinite wife, she had infinite requests, and i also think that after him and his wife have disappeared amidst the cherry blossoms they came to exist in infinity.

Post by Cindy Xia on Sept 16, 2015 23:14:51 GMT

Post by Airy Yeh on Sept 17, 2015 0:06:30 GMT

Post by angelina kurganska on Sept 17, 2015 6:02:29 GMT

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