The reason I chose this image was because I felt like it really embodied Manago’s character in “Bewitched.” In the story, Manago came across as this beautiful, innocent women, yet on the inside she was deadly and deceptive, a (literal) serpent. She was able to hide behind this mirage of refinement and grace, never showing her true face. She knew people’s desires, their vulnerabilities and she used them to her advantage, altering herself to reflect what they wanted to see.
When Toyo-o first met Manago, he was captivated by her beauty. Manago portrayed this perfect image of modesty and refinement, her face “lighting up” and “blushing modestly” when she first met him. Though they only met briefly, Toyo-o had already begun to be deceived by this perfect mirage. That night, before Toyo-o even visited Manago’s house, he found himself vividly dreaming about its “huge structure” with its “shutters and the bamboo blinds.” He dreamt of a feast with “wine and all kinds of fruit.” When he finally awoke and made his way over to her house, he was struck by how similar the house was to what he had imagined – “the front gate and the house were huge indeed. The shutters and bamboo blinds were just as impressive as he had imagined in his dream.” Even Toyo-o thought it was strange, questioning whether or not this was still a dream as he was fed a familiar feast with food and wine. It wasn’t until Manago was exposed and Toyo-o was taken back to the house by samurai that the mirage was shattered, and he saw the house for what it actually was – broken down, overgrown, and “sagging with rot.”
Later on in the story, when Manago was able to track down Toyo-o at his sisters store in Nara, she was able to transform once again. Playing off of Toyo-o’s sister’s and husbands emotions, she reflected a desperate widow, tearful and apologetic and desperately in love. They were “so moved” by Manago’s pleadings that they “had no doubt whatever that she had spoken the truth.” As a result, they invited her into their home, and eventually succeeded in talking Toyo-o into marrying her.
A final example was when Manago took on the appearance of Tomiko, the daughter of Shoji and a lady-in-waiting at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. This was perhaps the most literal example of how Manago was able to change her reflection, by actually taking over the body of Tomiko. Toyo-o only saw Tomiko, with the “glamourous quality in her appearance” and her “pretty eyes.” Manago was even able to perfectly reflect Tomiko’s traits, attracting Toyo-o with her alertness, perceptiveness, and diligence. Once again, Toyo-o found himself married to another perfect mirage.
“Bewitched” by Ueda Akinari is the epitome of the saying ‘looks can be deceiving.’ It’s a critical reminder that what you see isn’t always what you get. Sometimes you need to look further than just the reflection in the mirror.
Shannon,
Please keep in mind that in order to receive full credit, posts must appear on the blog no later than 5 pm on the day that they are due. You do a nice job in your remarks of describing some of the moments in the story in which Toyo-o is deceived by Manago. You’ve chosen such an interesting image, but you don’t really explain how the image – particularly the emptiness at the center of the woman – connects to “Bewitched.” Rather than leaving it to the viewer to see what you see in the image, be explicit in explaining how you see this particular image in relation to “Bewitched.”
JS
Shannon,
What an intriguing image! I think what is actually connecting the photo and the story “Bewitched is the beautiful face of the girl and the emptiness of her body. Akinari describes only Manago’s outer side, not her thoughts, or what her emotions are. “Bewitched” gives us the impression that for a woman the only marital value is deeply based on her beauty and appearance as young woman. Thus, young widows have the all the chances of getting married again many times, as much as they were young.
I thought this image was really interesting and has a unique take on the way it depicts manago. It says a lot about the way that Manago looked for what toyo-o wanted from her, and reflected that back at him. Knowing he was looking for a woman, she constantly did what she needed to do to appeal to him and gain his trust.
This is a beautiful picture that tells a tale of how a reflection of oneself is the aim of anothers attraction. So empty yet conversely, a void that is filled by whoever comes into sight. It was the sight of Toyo-o that filled that same void in the heart of Manago and ultimately fated himself to a tragic romance.
This is a very interesting picture that you chose in which you can compare Manago being a reflection of Toyo-o’s wants and desires in another. It really does show that she was able to “alter herself to reflect what they wanted to see.” Manago’s mask is a mirror, one that is much more useful in deceiving people.