- “Ever since her marriage her husband’s existence had been her own existence, and every breath of his had been a breath drawn by herself.”–The reason why Reiko thinks and acts like this is because, at least partially, she thinks she’s supposed to act in this way. It’s all “in accordance with the Education Rescript’s injunction that ‘husband and wife should be harmonious.'” [paragraph 12] This is a clear example of Mystification. It’s very obvious in this case that men have more power than women in. Women are taught and told to be submissive and obedient to men. And by submitting herself to that idea, she gives up her own Agency. Reiko doesn’t belong to herself anymore, she is merely her husband’s property. We can also see this in paragraph 11 “….a complete stranger until a few months ago should now have become the sun about which her whole world revolved.” Given that we are reading a piece that is originally written in Japanese, we should know how important the “sun” is to them, for the author to use this word.
- “But now, while her husband’s existence in pain was a vivid reality, Reiko could find in this grief of hers no certain proof at all of her own existence.” This latter part of paragraph proves my point once more. Reiko has no Agency. She would prepare everything for her husband in the house; does all the chores; have sex with him whenever he feels like to; and even die with him if he wants to. Yes, she’s certainly loyal to her husband, just like his husband is loyal to his country, but is this loyalty mutual? Or is it just another Mystification? “He was to give his life for it. But would that great country, with which he was prepared to remonstrate to the extent of destroying himself take the slightest heed of his death? He did not know; and not matter.” [paragraph 66] The lieutenant thought about it, and he concluded it “not matter.” Because he knows it might be just an idea. He also gives up his Agency for his “great country.” The exact same thing happens to Reiko. Looking at her husband’s dead body, she finally thinks about herself for the first time, who’s she living for? Now that her husband is dead, what’s the point of living?
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I agree that women in that generations were taught to be submissive and once they marry they are like the husband’s property. It is also sad that they were only married for such a short time and she is willing to die with him.
-Sandy