Social norms are a powerful and important factor influencing people’s lives, decisions, and choices. In cultures where etiquette and certain rules are critical to follow, people might experience certain pressure. One example is Japan and its dedication to traditions, which are extremely important for all the people in the country, even nowadays. Literature works such as Ichiyō’s “Separate Ways”, Ch’ae Man-Sik’s “My Innocent Uncle,” and “Bamboo Grove” by Ryunosuke depict the reality of social standards’ impact on individuals and portray it from different sides. Eventually, Japanese etiquette and unspoken rules regarding the different attitudes towards social classes, gender inequality, and female obedience to men govern characters’ behaviors and choices, often in harmful ways.
Higuchi Ichiyō’s book “Separate Ways” depicts the characters’ fatalistic outlooks contributing to the story’s reality. Kichizo and Okyo were realistic about their limited financial situation and chances for success, which made them somewhat gloomy. The narrative, therefore, depicts plain, everyday individuals in everyday situations who lack distinguishing traits and tragic dreams. Due to its depiction of the middle class’s representatives’ daily lives, the novel is realistic. It is important to examine the characters to support this assertion. Kichizo and Okyo, who reside in a tiny Chinese city, are the primary protagonists. They both lack family members who could help them out. Sewing garments for the store’s customers, Okyo is a seamstress who lives close to the umbrella factory.
Okyo once told Kichizo that he, who wears another’s clothing, could never go anywhere. Kichizo also works as an apprentice at an umbrella manufacturing. A grandmother fostered him in an umbrella industry as an impoverished orphan. Due to his diminutive size and disadvantaged upbringing, he is frequently called names like dwarf and said he would never develop. Kichizo is unhappy due to his financial situation and because his family abandoned him. Nobody would attempt to make fun of his parents or size if he were born into an upper-class position. This highlights how a person must work hard for oneself if they want to thrive in life. One would always stay in his current position if he were to depend on another individual. This is paradoxical because Okyo eventually decides to move in with a family that would provide her with the expensive kimonos she desires.
Although Okyo is not given much attention, she leaves her reputation and poverty behind to be a mistress with a lavish lifestyle because of her low social position. She once tells Kichizo that she is weary of all the washing and stitching and that everything would be preferable. This shows that Okyo is aware of how being someone’s mistress lowers her status and that she understands this. She prefers to reside in a more advantageous situation where she is not worried about surviving.
The book by Ch’ae Man-Sik called “My Innocent Uncle” illustrates how political ideologies can set families against one another. The narrative is delivered by “I,” a wholly unaware narrator constantly misunderstood while raging. The narrator admits to being uneducated and, at best, politically illiterate, and the parts in which he interacts with his uncle are typical cases of stupid arguing with one another. The main character’s nephew views his communist uncle as foolish and archaic. He thinks his uncle is not clever and cannot see why he holds such political beliefs. The characters’ viewpoints are so wildly divergent throughout the narrative that the nephew wishes his uncle might pass away so he would not listen to his ridiculous ideas.
The audience has to understand that politics divides individuals on a much more granular level than one may think. Communities and, more especially, families were affected by the political split. Political ideas would drive families further apart and into hatred. “My Innocent Uncle” made it clear that the animosity between opposing viewpoints might go beyond tolerable and take the form of sentiments that make individuals want to kill others. The narrative is brief, and at the conclusion, when the author hopes his socialist uncle will pass away. However, it is also a prolonged metaphor for Japanese colonization, as seen by the narrator’s joyfully retarded and collaborationist shock at his uncle represents the diminished Korean culture. Broken, unwell, and lacking the motivation to continue from the narrator’s perspective, the uncle—and subsequently Korea—just survives.
Another depiction of cultural impact persists in “Bamboo Grove” by Ryunosuke, which captures the atmosphere of that time. Akutagawa infuses the characters in “In a Bamboo Grove” with a feeling of moral uncertainty. There are numerous opinions on what occurred to the man slain in “In a Bamboo Grove” after he was killed. Three separate people have admitted to killing the man. Ryunosuke Akutagawa cited significant works of literature that presented various viewpoints. It illustrates how culture and gender significantly affect how each view perceives and constructs reality.
The wife behaves like a wife would be expected to, which makes her appear helpless and unqualified. Masago would get along with him after the rape, but they say she should go. After witnessing her being sexually attacked, Masago noticed shame, rage, and grief in Takehiro’s eyes. Masago could have defeated Tajomura if he had behaved more manly and safeguarded or defended himself. Masago placed much weight on her feelings. Masago’s statement portrays her as weak and extremely vulnerable. Masago’s lack of knowledge after the thief molested her made her appear inept. Masago believed that being raped had cost her her honor.
Through her posture, emotions, and facial expressions, Masago demonstrated her vulnerability in the narrative. A woman is assaulting the most intolerable situation somebody can go through. Masago believes that she is worthless as a result of being raped. Masago appeared frail because of her absence of virtue in consenting to be violated. After being raped, her reputation with her spouse was put in peril. Tamura, the thief, sexually assaults Masago and suggests she becomes his wife. Since once Masago’s virtue is tainted, she will not get along with her husband. Even though it was not her fault, the robber said her husband would never forgive her. Japanese culture has gender norms for both men and women. Loyalty and bravery were expectations that men and women shared.
Women were supposed to be devoted to their families and husbands, while men were expected to be faithful to their lords. Masago’s allegiance to her spouse was shattered due to being raped. The rise of the Samurai code altered women’s status in Japan. Before the arrival of the Samurai, matrilineal relationships dominated Japanese culture. The position of women in Japanese society was changed by the impacts of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Samurai culture, and the influences were all biased toward women.
Overall, all Japanese people are required to abide by the strong social norms that govern Japanese society. The Japanese frequently experience extreme societal pressure as a result of this. People are even made to act in ways that go against their personal preferences and convictions, demonstrated in the books, to conform to society’s norms and expectations. For instance, men were meant to be obedient to their lords, while women were supposed to be dedicated to their families and spouses. Political ideologies further divide families and foster animosity because of the strong principles. Society treats better and shows more respect to people with higher social status, making characters sacrifice their dignity, happiness, and relationships to fit the standards.