1. Why do you think Toyo-o continues to be involved with Manago even after he suspects that she is a demon of some sort?
When Toyo-o saw Manago again, it was in the Tanabe store. At first, he was taken by surprise as well as didn’t want anything to do with her given that he was convinced that Manago was the devil. However, his sister and her husband were so moved by her extravagant story (the last two paragraphs on page 641), that they welcomed her into their household. On page 642 Akinari states, “In a day or so Manago, ingratiating herself to her host and hostess, pleaded with them tearfully to win back Toyo-o for her.” Ingratiating means intended to gain approval or favor, likebehaving in a way to gain an advantage. Therefore, Manago was not genuine in her pleas. Manago is a serpent so of course, she was able to convince Toyo-o or put him “under her spell” considering she can skillfully manipulate anyone just with her voice. Despite this, I believe that even if she wasn’t a serpent, Manago could still manipulate Toyo-o. He is a weak character that had everything handed to him and is told what to do. Going back to page 642, Manago skillfully instructed Toyo-o’s sister and her husband to help her [Manago] with getting Toyo-o back in which they were able to convince him to go through with formal wedding rites.
