great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Ihara Saikaku depicts many different scenarios and relationships that the narrator has with men in his story, Life of a Sensuous Woman  that took place in Japan in the mid 1600’s. This story mainly consists of symbolism for love, sex, and lust. The author reflects a society where women are simply portrayed as to what’s called, objective prosperity. In one instance the narrator becomes into a street prostitute. Saikaku also portrays a society where women that were originally born into poverty should sell their bodies as if it were an object. This directly symbolizes prostitution. She states that, “I just followed my desires wherever they went– and I ruined myself.” The author reveals to us how merchants deceives these women into becoming a prostitute. All the narrators occupations were in relation with one another. Being a wife/mistress, a teacher, and a prostitute, she experiences similar scenarios in each. It gave her insight regarding the different perspectives in each. After analyzing the author’s purpose, his first statement in the story made sense. “A beautiful woman, many ages have agreed, is an ax that cuts down a man’s life.” He illustrates the life of a young woman and her sexual life beginning with her childhood.

• Farhan Zaman

Ihara Saikaku had several different relationships with several different men, however in my opinion her first relationship was the most important because it was the only man she fell in love with. Throughout the story Saikaku explains all her different encounters with men and all of them are based on sex except the one with the young samurai, she says “he was of a low rank and wasn’t good-looking but his writing, even in his very first letter, sent me into another world.” This was the first time we are able to see Saikaku has feelings for this man, there were other men who were good looking and of higher rankings that pursued her but she was uninterested, she said “There’s nothing as strange as love”. When the samurai lost his life for being with her, she was distraught “I couldn’t tell whether I was sleeping or awake.  I couldn’t sleep, but I couldn’t get up either.” Eventually Saikaku had learned to cope and forgot about this man, however every relationship Saikaku had after that was based on sex and not love.  

-Katarina Stojanovic

The story is based in the different experiences and relationships Saikaku experienced throughout her life.  As Katarina mentioned, the most important and crucial one is her first.  When she was just a young girl she fell in love with a samurai, “Why have you come all the way here to see me, like wind visiting a rotting old tree” in my opinion a clear proof of a real love and real hope from someone who is experiencing strong feelings and expects the same in return.  I believe she did that question waiting for an answer in return and unfortunately in never came and I feel that marked her at a very young age.    The next experience she had was also disappointing in my opinion, “I’ve always been an unlucky woman, but with the lord I was fortunate.  He was tender to me, and we enjoyed our lovemaking.  But things didn’t work out.”  Once again, another failed experience, that went from bad to worst and I believe was something that make her lose hope and giving up on love which explains the rest of her live and future experiences.  

• Joaquin Azcue

The narrator has lived a life with many adventures that were all different and yet very similar. The common trait in all these stories seems to start or end with curiosity & love which evolves to many other things. When she was a little girl, she was infatuated with the concept of love and felt like she understood what it meant. And because she wondered how the feeling would feel she acted on that curiosity and satisfied the physical need. However, the actual need for love was absent and she was always searching for that love to truly satisfy her curiosity. She says how she would over hear other couples making love, “Naturally I began to want to make love myself.”. That was when it was sparked and it continued to adulthood where she manipulated a man and said “Why don’t you love me instead?”. What turned into a favor, became feelings and she yearned for the love that she never really got but always wanted from someone.

-Onu Mezbha