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?
2. Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
3. Does “Bewitched” have anything to teach its readers? If so, what? What is Akinari’s message in this text?
4. The text describes Manago as”bewitchingly voluptuous.” What does Akinari’s representation of Manago tell us about feminine beauty?
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Why do you think Toyo-o continues to be involved with Manago even after he suspects that she is a demon of some sort?
Because of who he was, it made him very vulnerable. Toyo-o is described in this story as an immature, irresponsible son who lacks the main characteristics of an independent man. His father believed he was incapable to provide for himself and feared that with money in his possession he would easily be deceived then robbed. All of this added to the fact that he was young and handsome made him an easy target for Manago to have him bewitched. He was under her spell, and even though he knew he was a demon of some sort, she had features that were very appealing to him such as her beauty, a cultured and refined looking woman that was very convincing to him and his sister and her husband, which I believe also influenced in the way he decided to giver her another chance. Toyo-o’s good looks had this devil obsessed with him and since he was weak and had not change who he was he didn’t stand a chance, the only way out was for him to become a more manly and determined spirit, and have a strong will to avoid temptations of lust and passion just as the old man warned him.
Why do you think Toyo-o continues to be involved with Manago even after he suspects that she is a demon of some sort?
Similar to the story by Feng Menglong we have another young man, who does not work and lives off of his family. We are told in the text that Toyo-0 could be deceived and robbed of “all” he owned. Manago is bewitchingly voluptuous and has a bewitching voice. However, it is interesting to note that Toyo-os sister and brother in law are taken by her as well and urge Toyo-o to marry Manago. It is her physical beauty that eventually wins Toyo-o over and he falls in love with her.
I am wondering if stories like this are partly written to warn young men from being idle and not working. Also, the idea of being cautious of a women’s charm.
The text describes Manago as “bewitchingly voluptuous.” What does Akinari’s representation of Manago tell us about feminine beauty?
Feminine beauty is depicted to be powerful and dangerous. In Toyo-o’s first encounter with Manago, he is completely mesmerized and his reasoning is compromised. He later dreams about her and is succumbed to marrying her upon her proposal. Akinari suggests that a woman’s beauty has the ability to control the actions of man and convince man of irrational behavior. Furthermore, Toyo-o faces many troubles because of Manago.
Before he discovers that she is actually a demon, he is caught with the possession of a stolen sword from the shrine, in which Manago gave to him. When Toyo-o encounters Manago in Nara, he still has great suspicion about her, but continues to be with her because she has charmed his family.
Akinari portrays the dangers of feminine beauty when Manago posses Tomiko. This is significant because it again suggests the idea of control. Feminine beauty not only can control the actions of others, but can be used to accomplish wicked intentions. Moreover, the dangers of feminine beauty is physically shown when the serpent kills the priest. Akinari also suggests that feminine beauty can be fatal if it is not handled properly.
Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
I think people are attracted to supernatural stories because of the adrenaline it offers with the security of knowing it is fictional. People can read these stories and never have to worry about any of it being real but can put themselves in the characters shoes to put themselves in a different world. None of it is real but the things that happen can be exhilarating in both a good and bad way with no harm being done.
Why do you think Toyo-o continues to be involved with Manago even after he suspects that she is a demon of some sort?
In the short story “Bewitched”, the main character Toyo-o is characterized as a rugged, dependent and non honest individual who falls in love with a “demon”. Despite after suspension Manago is a demon, Toyo-o still decides to stay with her because he is oblivious and also caught under a spell. Toyo-o falls for her beauty and seeks to acquire her attention. Manago similarly, is astonished by Toyo-o’s good looks and seeks to acquire him as well. This gives Toyo-o the motive to still be involved with Manago despite the supernatural disasters that happens throughout the story. From the beginning of the story, we acknowledge Toyo-o’s personality from his father which correlates to his decision to be with her. His father describes him almost as a burden to the family because of his little devotion to be a hard worker as well as being oblivious around his surroundings. Unlike his brother and father, Toyo-o is described to be easily tricked as well as dependent on the hard work of others. I don’t find Toyo-o’s decision to be astonishing because his personality and characteristics described by his father, which relates to Toyo-o’s decision to be involved in Manago.
The text describes Manago as”bewitchingly voluptuous.” What does Akinari’s representation of Manago tell us about feminine beauty?
Feminine beauty as interpreted through this short story can be described as all consuming, intriguing and a great influence on men who fall victim to women who possess such beauty. It holds a great power that is able to control men in a way that can be compared to that of a trance of some sort. It’s is captivating and enchanting to say the least and leaves men particularly in this story ,Toy-o wanting more despite the obvious red flags coming from his captor in this case Manago. Feminine beauty defies logical reasoning and only allows for fantasy riddled thoughts and actions from men who are caught in the webs of these enchanters.
Why do you think Toyo-o continues to be involved with Manago even after he suspects that she is a demon of some sort?
In Akinari’s “Bewitched,” Toyo-o continues to get involved with Manago, even after suspecting that she is a demon because he is still mesmerized by her beauty and is basically “bewitched.”In the beginning of the story we are told that Toyo-o is the type of person who can be easily “deceived and robbed.” When Manago finds him after he goes to his sisters, Manago is able to convince Toyo-o after several days of pleading that she wasn’t the Devil. Toyo-o was once again captivated by her beauty. Toyo-o’s sister helped convince him to carry on the wedding plans so Toyo-0 was influenced by his sister and his brother in-law as well.
2. Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
I think people are really into the idea that there could be a possibility of a supernatural, ghost tales etc, existing. For some time now, There has been a lot of curiosity, regarding if the unknowns are actually realistic, moreover, people have a lot of unanswered question and due to this people often kinda shift and mold this idea mostly because it’s interesting and entertaining. People are also are very intrigued by what’s isn’t a norm.
Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
I believe it is an inherent human trait to be attracted to tales of the supernatural. Ever since the earliest human civilizations, we have tried to make sense of the world around us through mythology, religion and other belief systems. On a metaphysical level, we are curious about the unknown and long to know the reason for our existence. In ancient times, there were many tales that helped us explain why certain things happened, the technology or science wasn’t there to provide logic. In the present day, we still tell ghost stories even if science tells us they don’t exist because it is part of human nature.
The only difference between now and then is the kinds of superstitions we carry as a society. In olden times, it wouldn’t seem odd to burn someone that was accused of being a witch or having satanic powers. That wouldn’t work in today’s world because we’ve moved passed certain superstitions and tales, but still think about other supernatural beliefs like ghosts or the spirit world.
2. Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
People of all centuries are attracted to the idea of ghosts, ghost stories and the supernatural. One reason I feel that people enjoy ghost stories and stories of the supernatural is because there are things out there that are hard to explain and it is interesting to read stories or theories that try to explain the unexplainable. Stories that portray the supernatural and try to give meaning behind these unexplainable events are interesting because it seems like they could be plausible but in reality they are not. Stories such as vampires and werewolves have always been interesting to people for hundreds of years because they are scary and frightening as well as real feeling.
2. Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
It is fascinating that over thousands of years one thing that humans of all kinds have had a keen interest in is ghost tales and supernatural stories. Humans by nature are instinctively very investigative and born to question detail. There are many things in the everyday life that cannot be explained with common human knowledge and science. Some like to believe that there are other factors unbeknownst to man influencing our world because what cannot be proven wrong, can potentially turn out to be true. Especially when reading literature dating back hundreds of years, where people seem have the same unanswered questions and concerns about the unknown as many do today. I also believe this subculture interest to be very strong today because now more than ever people are beginning to question information and not believe what they are told because of the internet craze.
Why do you think people (both in the 18th century, when Akinari was writing, and in our own day) are attracted to ghost stories or tales of the supernatural?
First, for those who live in 18th century, tales of supernatural always provide some explains to something can’t be explained by science at that time.
Another important reason is that throught tales of super natural, some suthors can make comments on the government , the society or even the king ,without invovling in any trouble, since the tales they create is not even real.
For us, reading tales of supernatural is mainly for fun. Ghost, vampires always people frightening , which provides motivate for them keep reading the whole story.
Toyo-o is displayed as an immature and dependent person in the story. Even though he gets to know about Manago and that she is a demon of some sort, he continues to be involved with her because of her physical beauty and charms. Moreover, Manago succeeds in convincing Toyo-o’s sister and brother-in-law too as if she is a cultured ‘woman’ and loves Toys-o. Toyo-o is a handsome looking young man who could easily be deceived and robbed which makes him an easy target for Manago who casts a spell on him.