Emily Kim - 9/9 Readings

    Starting off reading Ice Man and Straw Husband, I noticed that both authors similarly characterized the husband figures as non-human. The Ice Man was often described to have "patches of leftover snow," "frost" on his fingers, and to "never melt." The Straw Husband was also described to be featureless and made completely of straw, so it was interesting how both authors used non-human characteristics to convey a deeper meaning. In Ice Man, it felt like the wife felt stuck, or frozen in her relationship. After her initial passion and fascination for the Ice Man had passed, she was looking for ways to create change, so she suggests going to the South Pole. I thought that the ice "melting" meant that he would change throughout the marriage, but was it actually her perception that just changed? Maybe, she realized the realized that the relationship would not last in the long run. On the other hand, there is a clear change in the Straw Husband, as he begins to show his true colors even after the wife's confidence in the beginning of the story. This is an example of husbands changing after get married, and it was also quite sad to see how accepting and forgiving the wife was of his behavior. 

    I also saw a connection between Smartening Up and the play, Dojoji. It was surprising that the aunt in Smartening Up, was actually a ghost trying to encourage her niece to become like the snake in Dojoji and take revenge on her ex-boyfriend instead of damaging herself. She probably wanted to send that message especially after being in the same position and ended up committing suicide. It was also ironic how the main character recited things she loved about herself at the same time she was receiving a beauty treatment. 

    My favorite connections amongst the readings was probably between The Greengrocer's Daughter and Silently Burning. The temple in Silently Burning was dedicated to the Oshichi, a girl who was so fiery and passionate for her love that she committed arson and died for him. The calligrapher did not understand the romantic passion that Oshichi or all of the women who visited the temple had. However, there was interesting comment that the chief priest's wife made at the end of the story, when she called her writing fierce, passionate, and fiery. Also taking into account, how dedicated she was to her job, this shows that everyone can different things they are passionate about, whether that be love or a hobby.