Riya - Thoughts on Readings for September 9th

I enjoyed reading through these stories as they were fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking. I was pleasantly surprised at some point during each of the readings because at no point could I predict what would happen next, alongside both powerful messaging and commentary. 

The most surprising and sad stories for me were Dojoji and The Greengrocer's Daughter. I found myself laughing at some of the dialogue while reading Dojoji due to the simple bluntness and comedic bits, and I found myself sympathetic to the daughter with the unfortunate fate. I found myself more absorbed in The Greengrocer's Daughter story due to the plot developments and the cast. I was a little shocked when Oshichi committed arson, but the underlying emotional tension left more of an impression. I was sad at the end when reflecting on the overarching story of the young samurai and Oshichi as star-crossed lovers.

I saw a lot of similarities between The Ice Man and Straw Husband. Both contained husbands that represented a major flaw in each of the main characters' relationships. For The Ice Man, my interpretation was his icy demeanor represented gaps in communication that grew as the story progressed, as the story ended with them at the South Pole. In both stories, I hated the husbands.

My favorite story was definitely Smartening Up by Aoko Matsuda, though I may be biased because I made a presentation on her. This story had a fun setting, and the story itself was fun alongside the prose.  It was very fun read overall. The main character resonated with me, and I enjoyed the ending and the main character reclaiming that power for herself and symbolically and literally resisting societal norms, doing what makes her happy. The messaging, the characters, the plot, and the writing style all deeply resonated with me, and I had a wonderful reading experience.

Silently Burning left a different impression on me, as the story was lighter and felt more peaceful to read. I was proud of the main character, and enjoyed the direct connection to The Greengrocer's Daughter. It was interesting to think about how these two stories can interact.