15 thoughts on “Blog Post 1: Breaking the Binary”

1. There’s a power struggle between Toyo-o and Manago which highlight several binaries such as, masculine/ feminine and weak/strong. When Toyo-o first meets Manago, he asks if she is a “lady of high station in life”(633) and then mentions he is of a higher class as well. Toyo explains that there’s no need to worry about anything, “This is only a shabby hut, but the owner is a man employed by my father. So please be at ease and rest here.” By stating his father’s business, Toyo-o makes sure that Manago is aware that he is the one in power, or is at least on the same level of power as she is and that she should be attracted to this. However, we later learn that Toyo-o is not the one in power, Manago is. Manago manipulates Toyo-o, making him believe that she isn’t as strong and that she needs a master for the house. The power has always been with Manago, she just let Toyo-o believe he was the one who wore the pants. Once Toyo-o finds out that Manago is a devil he learns that he must, “develop a more manly, a more determined spirit, which you now lack, in order to repulse it.” (644) Toyo-o realizes that he needs to become more masculine in order to become stronger. By becoming more masculine Toyo-o will be able to resist passion and lust, factors that make a man weak. By the end of the short story, Toyo-o develops into a more masculine character who is braver as well. Toyo-o demonstrates his progress when he volunteers to go away with Manago in exchange for the safety of the villagers. The power comes back to Toyo-o when he tricks Manago, “Shoji has agreed to let me go, so let us depart together.”(647). Toyo-o plays with Manago’s emotions and strikes her when she least expects it. Manago is now the weak one because she let her emotions get the best of her. This story was a progression of Toyo-o’s masculinity and power which he obtained once he let go of his passions and lusts. Because Toyo-o does not fit well into the masculinity definition, this includes having power, in society it creates many problems for Toyo-o until he finally submits to the norms and goes back into the “circle”.

2. Tartuffe shows an example of a binary breakdown between religious beliefs/secular beliefs and feminine/masculine. The play showed a breakdown of feminine/masculine as it portrays Orgon controlling the household and the rest of the family having to follow his decisions. One of the scenes from Tartuffe that showed the rest of the family having to follow his orders was when he wanted to break off his daughter’s marriage with Valere so that she can marry Tartuffe instead. “What?! Father, you want- Yes, my dear, I do- To join in marriage my Taruffe and you.” This shows the power differences between men and women during this time period because her daughter did not have the liberty to marry the person she wanted because her father wanted her to marry someone else instead. In addition, the text showed examples of religious beliefs and secular beliefs as throughout the text, Orgon showed his full admiration to Tartuffe because he believed that Tartuffe “was a gift from the heaven” and thought that he had a connection with the heavens, “I rose to leave-he quickly went before to give me holy water at the door. He knew what I needed, so he blessed me.” However, at the end of the play, we find out that Tartuffe used Orgon’s spiritual beliefs to create secular beliefs and take advantage of him. Towards the end, Tartuffe takes everything that belongs to Orgon as he used his religious beliefs to create secular beliefs to show that everything Tartuffe did was the right thing to do, when in fact he tried to lust on his wife, steal his house, and get Orgon arrested.

3. In Moliere’s “Tartuffe”, one of the many binaries that breaks down is the split between religious and secular beliefs. Tartuffe claims to be a man of faith, but is driven by his deepest and passionate desires. He uses his false image to manipulate people in order to extract whatever he pleases. For instance, he is adored by Orgon and Madame Pernelle because of the way he presents himself as a religious man. Orgon was fooled by Tartuffe when he saw “Every day he came to church and knelt. Those sounds he made from deep inside his soul” (152). However we begin to learn about Tartuffe’s hypocrisy and see the crumbling of the religious/secular binary when he tries to seduce Orgon’s wife, Elmire. When he saw the maid’s bosom, he claimed that the exposed skin made him tempted to take action which would go against his beliefs. But when it came to Elmire, Tartuffe claimed that his “piety’s a true thing–not a sham…..so when I find myself with you, I quickly lose my mind” (172). In this excerpt, he lets down his walls revealing his true intentions. This break down of the binary of religious/secular beliefs shows how religion can be used as a tool for influencing others to gain one’s true desires, in this case the nourishment of Tartuffe’s lust and greed.

4. In Bewitched, one of the binaries is focusing on the split between naïve and experienced. Toyo-o is a very naïve character sometimes, he proves that it is easy to become attracted to each other based on physical appearance. Manago used her “bewitched” beauty to put a spell over Toyo-o and she knew that he would do anything for her because he was so attracted to her, like when he gave her his only umbrella or when she forced him to stay at her house. Even though Toyo-o knew Manago for only a day he was already in love with her “He himself had felt in his heart the same intention – to marry her, for he was in love with her. And so her proposal caused his heart to leap with joy, like a bird taking flight from its roost” (p.635). Throughout the story we can see that feminine beauty can be used to seduce men and make them do anything they want. Her character symbolizes the idea that feminine beauty can be used as a mask to hide from who they are inside. When finally the old man came and explained to him “You have been bewitched by that devil who attached itself to you / If I had not been there to save you, it might have taken your life. Beware of it in the future” (p.643). He “pleaded earnestly for future protection from the devil”. However, Toyo-o fell into the same trap and married Tomiko the same devil “Toyo-o, on taking her as his wife, saw that she had pretty eyes and that she was alert, perspicacious, and assiduous about everything” (p.645). He remembered that her look was different from Manago but she spoke like the devil. He finally realized that the devil was behind all this.

5. Both Tartuffe and Bewitched present their antagonists with an ability to maintain a façade. Tartuffe uses religion for his illusion, as Manago uses her looks and Japanese culture for her advantage. Both these characters use aspects important in society towards their advantage. The Church, being a powerful element when Tartuffe was written, portrays through Tartuffe how religion was being used in justification of reason. Society no longer had reason of their own, instead they had the reasons of the church instilled into them. limiting reason acts builds an illusion which impedes “universal reason” as well as people’s true reason and depiction of reality. Just like Orgon falls for Tartuffe’s act, society falls under the Church. Tartuffe is the representation of the church along with his reasoning of “We’re all sinners”.

   Manago uses her charm and knowledge of the Japanese culture to lure Toyo-o as she is able to trick both him and his family into trusting her. Manago convinces Toyo-o as well as his family that she is a nice beautiful japanese girl even after the entire incident with the stolen sword. Orgon and Toyo-o, both naive in the beginning, realize only towards the end that they were tricked.

   Tartuffe plays a major key in exposing the corruption of the church and leading towards enlightenment.

6. In Moliere’s Tartuffe, an example of a binary in the play would be between morality and sin. Tartuffe acts as if he’s a moral authority when in fact he’s the exact opposite. Through his deceiving tactics, he almost succeeds in obtaining Orgon’s property through blackmail, and he also attempts to commit adultery with Elmire. Someone who is believed to be a religious man would never commit such unethical behavior. We see throughout the play that characters who are truly ethical, such as Cleante, attempt to prove Tartuffe’s immorality. Moliere uses Tartuffe as a prime example to show how foolish the misuse of religion can be. Through the use of Cleante, Moliere creates a voice of reason, a l’honnete home, to show the true understanding of morality. Cleante expresses this in the play to Orgon by stating, “ See, I reverse Everyone whose worship is sincere. Nothing is more noble or more beautiful Than fervor that is holy, not just dutiful. So nothing is more odious to me Than the display of specious piety Which I see in every charlatan Who tries to pass for a true holy man. Religion passion worn as a façade Abuses what’s sacred and mocks God.” (1.5.120) Cleante explains to Orgon, and at the same time Moliere shows the audience, that through the misuse of religion, someone can exhibit traits that may seem moral based off of their beliefs but is not truly an ethical person.

7. One of the binaries that we get to observe on Akinari’s Bewitched is naive versus experienced. It reminded me a lot like to a coming of age story in which we get to see at the beginning a Toyo-o who can be easily manipulated by a woman’s beauty despite all the signs that tell us that Manago is a very rare and unusual woman and he is also introduced to us as someone who can easily get robbed and deceived which is why he was a disappointment to the family as they didn’t know what to do with him because not even their wealth could help secure a better future for himself. However, towards the end of the story we can witness his growth when he says “It is not right that so many people should suffer on my account. I will not rely on the help of others any more. I am prepared to die. So please be at ease.” (pg. 646). This is the part where Toyo-o gets to be the hero of his own story as he finally gets the courage to stand up to Manago and call her out on all the misery she has brought, not only on him but his family and his wife Tomiko as well. He’s even no longer tolerable to Manago’s coquettish words as when she tries to tell him to be happy over her undeviating love, he replies to her with a very wise quote comparing her to a tiger who is only predisposed to hurt human beings, something a naive boy couldn’t probably understand. We can say that in the end Toyo-o finally becomes a man his parents could be proud of for he was able to bring back peace into their lives and was no longer this young weird handsome boy with a lot of feminine traits, but a man who had gained the strength to face the woman who had done him wrong.

8. Samara Tayebi

   The story “Tartuffe” address the binary of trust vs distrust and masculine vs. feminine. In the story Tartuffe meets organ an upper class man. Orgon being a trustful person offers his home to Tartuffe the priest who claims that he has the way to heaven. Orgon treats Tartuffe as part of his family and tends to his every need. He trusts him even though he knew very little about him. The real problem arises when Orgon’s family tells him that Tartuffe is a hypocrite. Orgon ignores them and because of his masculine authorities attempts to arraign a marriage between his daughter and Tartuffe. His family having the feminine authority think that this is absurd, so they attempt to stop this. They try to make a plan to stop the marriage. This plan hid Orgon under the table to hear how Tartuffe acted when Orgon wasn’t around. The plan worked and Tartuffe was shown to be his true self. Orgon signed over his land to Tartuffe, but the king realized Tartuffe was a crook so they returned Orgon his land. Orgon was too naive to realize the truth even thou it was in front of him the entire time. Orgon the head of his family chose to believe Tartuffe a priest over his family. The dilemma arises whether or not to trust. Should he trust his family or trust the supposedly religious man. This difficult situation is truly a binary because having to chose over two things that are exact opposites but may be right. If anything the story is towards the side of the family because even tough they have little power over Orgon’s decision they are still represented as the trusting figure.

9. The mention of a breakdown of binaries leads me to think of the story of Tartuffe immediately. More specifically, the binary of Tartuffe himself. He wishes to be seen as a pious and noble man which in he is successful in doing. However, he is, without a doubt, not what he claims to be which is apparent to the audience and the reader.
   Before the audience and the reader meet Tartuffe, there is a depiction of him being portrayed through the stories and perceptions of other characters. Madame Pernelle and Orgon who have been “intoxicated with Tartuffe” (1.2), and the others such as Cléante and Dorine who absolutely despise him, seeing through his ludicrous facade. He claims to be modest and a holy man should rightfully be so, however, he is not as pious as he claims to be. And if he were truly a man of the church, he would not care about marriage, money or property. Not only does he lust for love and wealth, the lust itself begins to cause issues for Orgon’s family, which someone Tartuffe claims to be, should not be doing at all.
   Simply, Tartuffe was an opportunist and a con man, who manipulated those surrounding him to obtain what he wants. His own unconfined lust was his own downfall as his binary falls apart. Orgon eventually sees the man who what he actually as, the same with Madame Pernelle.

10. In Candide by Voltaire, I find that the characters Candide and Martin display the positions of optimism vs pessimism throughout the story. Candide follows the teachings of his tutor Pangloss, which is stated as “In the best of all possible worlds, everything is ultimately for the best, and that every effect has a cause.” Candide accepts Dr. Pangloss’s teaching as absolute truth, thus making him optimistic in the most troubling of times to find his lover Cunegonde. On the other hand, Martin believes that God has abandoned the world, which is now consumed by evil and suffering. He has great contempt for the optimist viewpoint that evil is only an illusion, and merely “shadows on a beautiful picture.” In addition, many of the discussions these two have are about human nature, moral and physical evil. For example, Candide asks Martin, “Everything is for the best in the physical as well as the moral universe, and that nothing could be otherwise as it is?” Martin responds with “Not at all sir, I believe nothing of the sort. I find that everything that goes wrong in this world; that nobody knows his place in society or duty, what he’s doing or ought to be doing, and that outside of meal times, …are spent in useless quarrels.” (Voltaire. P 395.) Martin often sees the dark reality in situations while Candide is innocent and wants to see the “light in the darkness.”
    Another binary I would relate to these two characters are naive and experience. Candide showing that his character is very naïve and Martin being very serious and rationale. Candide is a younger man who is on his quest for love of Cunegonde. Candide also follows Pangloss’s teachings of optimism, and things are meant to happen for a specific reason. However, Martin is Candide’s reality check and this helps with the realization of human suffrage and exploits the evils of men and the world we live in.
    -Andrew Valladares

11. Bewitched is a text that challenges many social binaries. In Bewitched the character of Taro, the text says, “Taro, the elder son, was honest and rugged, devoted to his work, and he carried on the family business.”(Bewitched p.632) Immediately it is understood that Taro is the responsible older brother and the most promising son. We also get the sense that he is more manly because Taro takes care of the family fishing business. I would call this a manly because since the text was written in the late 1700s, work was not a woman’s place. Shortly after we are introduced to Toyo-o. Toyo-o is a student and is presented as a problem to his father because he is interested in studying Chinese literature as opposed to taking on the family business. Toyo-o is also an androgynous character because he has some feminine characteristics as well as male ones. The characters of Taro and Toyo-o are meant to be juxtaposed; they are exact opposites. The purpose of this in the text is to show that in society the masculine type of character, like Taro, is the one that thrives. Apart from being masculine, Taro is also presented as more experience. Toyo-o is more naive. We could tell this because meanwhile Taro is married, Toyo-o never had a girlfriend. This shows Toyo-o as the screw up of his family. I think that the greater meaning of these two characters in the text is to give the idea that in order to be prosperous you should not break the binary; boys should aspire to be like Taro. Boys who do not fit the masculine binary will not be prosperous, and a curse will come upon them.
    Another binary that was challenged was the real and illusion. I think Manago never existed. I think there exists the possibility that Toyo-o was a schizophrenic and that Manago was a character in his delusional mind. In the text, Toyo-o thinks to himself, “panels on the walls, the shelves, the screens- and all seems to be of valuable classical vintage.”(Bewitched p. 635) However, when they return the house is in ruins. Further in the text when the samurai encounter Manago, there is a clap of thunder and she disappears. Just because she was able to go and come as she pleases between existing and not existing, I think she was a character in the mind of Toyo-o. I think her place in the text is to show that everyone has their individual reality. Therefore, I think the presence of Manago in Toyo-o’s head made things better for him. Toyo-o did not fit the mold of his family and I think the presence of Manago is more like an imaginary character that somewhat makes things better for him. So although I do not that she was an actual character I think she was present in the mind of Toyo-o and it makes the reader see that this imaginary character alters Toyo-o’s reality.

12. In Tartuffe by Moliere, one binary that stands out to me is between religious and secular believes. In the play, Tartuffe is displayed as a role model, a person of good faith. While Tartuffe does not make fun of religion, he uses religion in order to manipulate people into believing whatever he believes is “right”. Orgon shows respect towards Tartuffe as he was seen as a “gift from heaven” who presents himself as a religious man. However, Tartuffe misuses religion by not criticizing religion, but to show the good and bad of holiness. Tartuffe is seen as a self-indulgent liar, while Elmire is seen as faithful. Interestingly, Cleante mentions “true holy men” exist but do not like to be noticed. Comparably after hearing this, Tartuffe makes mention that true religious men do not brag about themselves or criticize others. Later in the play, we learn that Tartuffe takes advantage of Orgon for his economic and social status which will further Tartuffe. Tartuffe convinces Orgon into overlooking his family and noticing he wants to be closer to god. Similarly, we see Tartuffes intentions of hypocrisy as he tried to seduce Elmire. I believe this reasoning assists in how Tartuffe uses religion for advantage and gain socially and economically.

13. In Akinari’s “Bewitched” one of the observable binaries is gender roles. The gender roles in the story show the roles that were favorable for men and women in society to fit in. The main character Toy-o starts of as someone described as having a feminine face and into reading books of different cultures. Taro represents who society wants men to be, strong and dedication to the family. The story depicts toy-o as someone who is easily manipulated, through his relationship with manago. It isn’t until toy-o shows courage and finally gathers the courage to stand up to manago that she is able to be defeated. This shows a man should be courageous when confronted by evil it also shows that toy-o has developed, or poses traits similar to that of a man in accordance to the societal view of how a man should act. Women in the story are typically shown to be passive and this is likely how society wanted the women to be “seen but not heard”. This can be seen in how the author chooses not to give any of the women in the story besides manago and toy-o’s wife names. This is because the women in society are not supposed to be assertive and are expected to be passive. Manago, the devil represents everything that a women should not be. She’s assertive and she also expresses her femininity and sexuality when talking to toy-o. The balance between gender roles help develop what’s right and what is wrong in the story. Manago is the devil and is depicted as a women who’s out of the norm in terms of how women are expected to act during this time period. Toy-o who at the beginning did not express any masculinity which in society is what defines men, is easily manipulated by the devil and is one of the last people to know that manago is evil. The gender roles in the story help preserve the gender roles in real society by showing the consequences of not falling in to the norm.

14. Binary questioning: In the Japanese text Bewitched, characters are ranked most important in order of their relation to the supernatural, Manago, Toyo-o, Moroya, Tomiko, the priest and Shijo (in that order). The interesting thing is that the most important character is a woman rather than a man. Manago herself challenges the binary of feminine vs masculine, by having the greatest impact on the story, by being the devil. She breaks the stereotype that men are stronger than woman because of physical attributes, at the end of the story she has killed two people, gotten who she wanted, and has been free from rituals to do her own bidding. In most stories of the time period, the man resembled a hardworking, strong intelligent center of control while his wife was best known for her obedience, but in Bewitched that is more reversed. Manago’s power stemmed from her desire to love toyo-o all to herself and at all costs, it caused her to create supernatural situations to disguise her escape. She fooled Toyo-o twice, created black clouds of gas & thunder strikes and revealed her true self while posing as tomiko. Although evil, Manago is the symbol of a woman’s new role.

15. In the story, Bewitched, two of the many binaries that are broken down are strong/weak and Masculine/Feminine. In Bewitched by Akinari, the main character Toyo-O is characterized as a weak man for not being like the other masculine figures and deciding to study literarure rather than follow his older brother’s path of working at his family’s business. Toyo-O compared to his brother Toro is consider naive for the reason that at the moment his brother was already married and he still hasn’t had a girlfriend. By being different from other masculine figures he is considered less masculine than every other man. When Manago later appear in the story, she makes Toyo-O falls in love with her. Manago, who at the time period was supposed to be represented as weak. However, she break this binary by being the strong one of the story and actually manipulating Toyo-O into what she wanted. By being seen as the devil Manago was already stronger and she made Toyo-O look weaker then what he already was. At this time of period this was a big conflict since men were the view as the stronger in a relationship and in general society. By the end of the story Toyo-O defeat Monoga, but that doesn’t take away the fact that throughout the whole story gender role seem vice versa between Toyo-O and Monoga.