I found this week’s set of assigned stories to be intriguing and quite enthralling. A common theme I noticed was the use of symbolism and surrealism to reveal the true form, consequences, and quiet ‘trap’ of the patriarchy, misogyny, and strict gender norms within society. Between three of my favorite reads this week; Dissecting Misogyny by Aoko Matsuda, Realizing Fun Things Through Water by Ao Omae, and Sea Horse by Hirom Kawakami, I really enjoyed the way in which the authors wrote on the constraints of traditional gender roles and both the physical and mental transformations required to free one’s self of them.
In Dissecting Misogyny, Matsuda approaches the theme through a very sharp and witty form of satire, treating systemic patriarchy as a physical ‘thing’ that needs to be picked apart piece by piece, in the style of a home-infomercial one would see for a deluxe kitchen knife of some sort. I appreciated that the ‘misogyny’ which is being dissected was described as « dark » and « filthy » with « bones » which are surprisingly flimsy and hollow, as I believe this is a great depiction of the true nature of systemic misogyny, especially the note about the « bones », which conveys that at its core, the patriarchy’s structure and philosophies are weak. I also reflected on the fact that a woman is the one standing there, painstakingly taking this grotesque object apart piece by piece, which left me thinking about how women are the ones seemingly left responsible for dismantling misogyny, just as society makes women out to be responsible for many things, as (most) men won’t step up to help and/or do it themselves.
In Realizing Fun Things Through Water, Omae uses the fluid and transformative nature of water to ‘wash away’ rigid gender and domestic roles, particularly those which the main character experiences as she grapples with the idea of marriage, her sexuality and apparent aromanticism, and the disappearance of her sister. Here, the main character rejects society’s norms concerning love and romance, such as the budding expectations of her soon to be mother-in-law, and finds acceptance and true love within her younger sister, who she refuses to let fade from her life. In some way, I believe that she also finds acceptance from her fiancee, as the main character mentions how he dated her anyway, even while knowing their feelings on romance varied from each other, creating a decent and understanding partnership between them. I enjoyed this story as even though the main character struggled enough with her non-norm abiding feelings to the point of only being able to speak of some of them to water, she still actively rejected gender and social norms to some extent, which feels like an accurate depiction of the process of unlearning society’s norms and finding oneself in the world.
Finally, in Sea Horse by Hiromi Kawakami, I found the author’s use of magical realism to be deeply fascinating. While it felt a bit of a heavy read at points, I believe those points were necessary, as the story serves as a haunting allegory for how traditional domesticity and norms about gender and marriage can make one feel as if they’re trapped in a cage, stripped of their true essence to the point of submitting to society’s norms, and at the mercy of their husbands. I really appreciated the ending of this story, with the seahorse finding her way back to herself and back home through the empowerment of her youngest daughter. It’s true that younger generations of women who have faced these same struggles have many-a-time pushed back against society’s norms and the patriarchy in pursuit of freedom and knowing who they are in the world. And, in turn, inspiring their mothers who have fallen into the trap of it all to do the same, showing and reminding them that they can.
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