memoirs of a geisha...

Margaret was asking me what I thought of the book, Memoirs of a Geisha, which was recently on my book list.  I have very mixed feelings.

I thought it was fairly well-written.  It was certainly a page-turner, at least in the beginning.  But I found myself getting horribly depressed by the story.

First of all, this little girl is about to lose her mother, so her father sells her (and another sister).  She goes to a geisha house; her sister is sold to be a prostitute.  Not very cheery.

Being a geisha is not exactly being a prostitute but more like a personal entertainment 'toy' for men.  She must learn to dance, to play a musical instrument, the 'fine art of conversation' (though none of the conversation was very interesting, certainly not educated or refined),  and how to drink lots of booze.

The girls virginity was sold at about 15, usually to some much older man...always to the highest bidder.  She just had to endure it.  Creepy, if you ask me.

When going out to clubs (excuse me, tea houses) with men, the women wouldn't be allowed to eat with them, only drink with them and entertain them.

Then, the way to really survive well as a geisha, was to get a man to be your sugar daddy. 

All this was disturbing as to what it said about women in Japanese society.

The fact that our heroine, Chiyo (who is renamed Sayuri), is doing all of this to be closer to 'The Director', who she met at age 9 and has been longing to sleep with ever since, is odd and slightly pathetic.  Is this a girl whose father sold her into slavery and is dying for the approval of an older man as a father-substitute?

The Director also has had the hots for her since then, too.  Even creepier.  Oh yeah, and he's married, but don't let that get in your way.  Most of these guys are married...going out with these other women at night while their wives sit home and wait.

Okay, so yes...the charm of the story wore off after the first bit.  I was interested in learning what a geisha was and it was enlightening on that point. 

The fact that this book was written by a man, who is apparently trying to pass off this life as 'glamorous' is a little absurd.  He/she also makes the point that being a geisha is not any different than a Western woman who is married to/lives with a wealthy man...implying that all these women are only in it for the money.  Excuse me?

I was slightly ticked off by this male view of a woman's role. 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book for the most part.  I liked the character development and the stage set scenery.  But I don't agree that being a geisha is a glamorous life.  I find it sad.  Not that Japanese women of any sort had it that great...

Comments?

Comments

[Laura]

I was disturbed by it too--I couldn't make up my mind how to feel about it. I did find it very curious that it was written by a man, and I imagine that if it had been written by a woman it would have been quite different; on the other hand, I think it is important to read books about women by men, to understand how women may be perceived. I also find this period of Japanese culture fascinating, since it seems so extremely different from all my experiences with Japanese culture. And really, what do we Westerners hav e to go on? Movies--hmm, Karate Kid? Exchange students--we had one, but she barely spoke. Commercials? Products? I feel it is odd how little we really know of Japan, despite it's major role in our country's history and present state. I kind of doubt I will see the movie, despite how much I like those actors (who are all Chinese or Tawainese, aren't they?)

[Marilyn]

I agree. Although I found it an entertaining read...I, too, found it disturbing that it was written by a man who was trying to glamorize it. And if we thought Golden was trying to do that...I can only imagine what Hollywood will do with it.

[Draconas]

I rather liked the book, and though it was, as you said, sort of depressing, I think that it is important to read books like this and learn about the way other cultures treat their women. It's actually not very different from a lot of Western cultures, long ago.

[tinker]

Well-written review! Thanks for saving me from wasting my precious, limited reading time on this one! My initial response when I first saw the book was "hmm, maybe one of these days..." & when I saw the previews for the movie, I thought maybe the time had come - but thanks, I'll pass!

[isay]

I have read it many years ago and I love it-I was drawn to reading it because of how it was written and the story itself. I remember tha I can't wait to finish it- out of curiousity. The japanese have left a bad mark in our country during the world war and the women were treated so badly and even during the last many years and until now where entertainers still go there to work. I was a bit cold towards embracing the growing popularity of their presence sometime in the past....And yet, I am destined to have a japanese friend and a very wonderful person even. I have told her about the book during that time but she didn't say anything. Anything that happened in the past or still maybe happening until now is a topic she never want to talk about. Fine. But she mentioned that most japanese women for so many years now are not marrying anymore and have become more independent.

Great review Diane and by the way, feeling a bit better now, thanks.

[Margaret]

I loved it, but you're right--it doesn't paint a very pretty picture of traditional Japanese society. I didn't think it glamorized it much, but I read the book many years ago. I know that it's also one of the favorite books of our Japanese teacher at school; she's the one who recommended it to me.

[leslie]

Great review, Diane.... I haven't read the book myself, but it sounds like it pretty much covers the plight of many Japanese women. Things have improved over recent years for the younger generation, but many of the old customs still exist.