Book analysis of The Tale of Genji - Essay Example

? Book analysis of “The Tale of Genji” Summary The tale concentrates around the life Hikaru Genji who is the son of the Japanese emperor, Kiritsubo. At some point people refer to him as “shining Genji” because of his political affiliation. His mother, Lady Kiritsubo, concubine to Emperor Kiritsubo dies when he is at the age of three. The tale goes to note that the concubine was important in the life of emperor as he continued remembering her. However, Emperor Kiritsubo goes on to marry a woman (Lady Fujitsubo) on the account that she had characters similar to the already deceased Lady Kiritsubo. This bondage, between the emperor and Lady Fujitsubo, indicates the beginning of the intertwining love for women exhibited by Genji. He comes to fall in love with his stepmother, followed by other unfulfilling love affairs. Genji meets a niece of the Lady Fujitsubo, Murasaki, who fascinates her and he tries to orient her to be an ideal woman, just like Lady Fujitsubo, for marrying. The tale also notes that Genji reconciled by his wife, Lady Aoi, who subsequently gives birth to a son. Genji becomes sorrowful when the son dies allowing Murasaki to find another point for proving her love by acting as the main consolation. Even after marrying Murasaki, another yet love affair between Genji and concubine of Suzaku. Suzaku became the Emperor after the death of Emperor Kiritsubo. Genji’s love life continues when he goes on to fall in love with a daughter to a prosperous man in Settsu province. Genji finishes his imperial carreer when his secret son with Lady Fujitsubo, Reizei , is lifted to be the emperor. The love and emotional life of the energetic Genji starts to depreciate after he turns 40 years. Albeit the declining love life, Genji goes on to marry another wife, known as the Third Princess. However, Genji’s nephew Kashiwagi has a secret affair with the Third Princess and they bear a son. The tale ends when Murasaki dies. Analysis The main theme in the story is evanescence, which controls most of the characters’ actions in the tale. The impermanence of all things, in the tale, serves in manipulating the plot of the story. There is need to classify the act of evanescence in categories to help in understanding the tale. In this tale, evanescence of love, life, and family values. The dissipation of these three aspects forms the major framework of the book. Evanescence of love The tale is complete story of the impermanence of love. Many characters in the tale involve themselves in love, which later becomes like an illusion to them. The following quote is just an illustration of the extent of love evanescence occurring in this tale: Did not we vow that we would neither of us be either before or after the other even in travelling the last journey of life? And can you find it in your heart to leave me now… (Murasaki, 2006, p. 19). The beginning of the tale implicates the love existing between Emperor Kiritsubo and Genji’s mother, Lady Kiritsubo. When she dies Emperor Kiritsubo finds it difficult to forget her because of the attachment he had with her. His need to marry a woman resembling his deceased wife, also symbolizes the extent to which he was missing the love he had for his wife. Further, the writer also indicates the dissipation of love that Genji had for his mother through his relationship with Murasaki. Considering that his father had searched for a stepmother having the traits similar to her mother’s, he takes the opportunity of grooving Murasaki to take after her stepmother. The extent to which Genji missed her mother is evident in the consolation statement offered by Murasaki: “Life is full of uncertainties, perhaps one day some unforeseen circumstance would bring her into his life once more…”(Murasaki, 2006 p. 47) This means that Genji was still yearning for the love of his mother, which at the time had already vanished during her death. Genji also gets detached from the love of his life when Murasaki dies. Just like his father did in marrying Lady Fujitsubo (a resemblance to Lady Kiritsubo), he was looking for a wife who could resemble Lady Fujitsubo. Genji took his time in educating and grooving Murasaki to the girl of his dream, whom he loves for the rest of the story. Spending resources and time in educating the girl, meant that Genji had much attachment to the love he had for Murasaki; and he did not consider any chance for separation between them. However, the death of Murasaki detaches Genji from his view of having something good in life. It is after death of Murasaki that the writer introduces the chapter, Maboroshi (illusion chapter) to show the extent of evanescence of love. The writer indicates that when Genji reached the age of forty, his love and emotional life was slowly wearing out. Further, the involvement of Genji in multiple of unfulfilling love affair also indicates the evanescence of love in this society. Even though he exploits many love affairs, none of these come to materialize. All the love affairs disappear thereby helping to indicate the impermanence of love in this society. Genji also experience love evanescence when he realize that he cannot continue loving his stepmother. Even though Genji had real love for his stepmother, the society detaches him from this when they forbid the love affair between the two. The evanescence of love is also evident in Murasaki’s experience. She had believed that her love affair with Genji was real and did not see any chance of him not marrying her. However, she realizes that the love has disappeared when Genji partake a new marriage with the “Third Princes”. The following quote indicates the trust and the attachment that Murasaki had for their love affair: If like the leaf of the wisteria through which the sun darts his rays transparently you give your heart to me, I will no longer distrust you… (Murasaki, 2006, p. 113). Genji’s wife also experienced love illusion, when she realizes that Genji was pursuing another love affair with Lady Fujitsubo. These scenes show that Genji contributed to the evanescence of love experienced by other characters in the tale. Evanescence of family values The tale presents several instances when the characters detach themselves from the family values. In this case family values represent the norms which regulate how people inside a family should relate with each other making them love each other. As indicated by the writer, there are various instances of dissipation of family bonding for other causes. The most significant instance of social value dissipation is when a stepmother falls in love with her son. In emperor Kritsubo’s family, Genji detach from the family values when he considers falling in love with his stepmother. After the death Genji’s mother, Emperor Kiritsubo had set on a journey of marrying another wife who could resemble his deceased wife. This is an indication that Emperor Kiritsubo had just added another member in his family. Consequently, any instance of Genji falling in love with Lady Fujitsubo was forbidden in the society because his father had established family bonding with the woman. As a son, Genji should have considered loving, his father’s new wife, as a stepmother. However, Genji does not consider the family values and continues to explore a journey of secretly bearing a son with the stepmother. The inclination of lady Fujitsubo to fall in love also indicates the weight of the evanenscence. As a stepmother, she should not have considered any chance of her falling love with Genji. Further, the same incidence occurs to Genji when he marries another wife, the “Third Princess”. His nephew, Kashiwagi initiates a step of having an affair with the “Third Princess”. Kashiwagi succeed in his quest for pursuing “Third Princess” in love and they later had a son, Kaoru. The society forbids this affair, since they all recognize Kaoru as Genji’s son and not Kashiwagi. This is enough indication that the characters, Kashiwagi and “Third Princess” had detach themselves from the recognized family values in the society. Another instance of evanescence of family values involves Genji pursuing the Emperor Suzaku’s concubine, for a hand in love affairs. Even though, Emperor Suzakus is his brother, Genji does not consider the need for acting as brother’s keeper and goes on to have secret affair with his brother’s concubine. Intuitively, the writer uses Genji’s experience to indicate a fabricated society where there are no family values. Evanescence of life Evanescence of life is evident in the way that the various characters are detached from their initial lives. The tale indicates some of the characters dissipating from their youth life through growth; some dissipating from the real life through death, some from their lifestyle. Genji detaches himself from his youth life when he reaches forty. He is not able to continue with his emotional and love life, which had always constituted most part of his youth. The tale indicates that Genji, on reaching forty, his love and emotional life started wearing slowly. The integration of the scene where Kashiwagi, his niece, had affair with the “Third Princess” also shows that the youth vigor, he had, was slowly depreciating. Initially, Genji had good looks and that convincing power to make woman divert her attention from another man. An evidence of this is when he manages to convince his stepmother to have a love affair with him. However, when he reaches the age of 40, everything changes and he is the one who loses his wife to another man. Further, The old age made him forget the love he had for Murasaki and went on to marry the “Third Princes”. He had involuntarily forgotten the promise he made to Murasaki to ever give his heart to her. Intuitively, this indicates that evanescence controls everything in the world, and there is no one who can control the perpetual existence of an aspect in the society. Murasaki also detaches from her lifestyle of embracing marriage to being a nun. After the failure of her love affair with Genji, she remains to see the marriage life as an illusion. Initially, she had never thought of her becoming a nun, because of the promising love affair he had with Genji. The use of death instances has also helped the writer to show the power of evanescence in controlling humans’ activities. Most of the characters have also detached themselves from their earth lives, through death. At the beginning of the tale, Genji’s mother dies leaving everyone, including his husband and son, to start missing her life. It is true that if Lady Kiritsubo had remained alive then she could have helped in providing useful solutions to some of the problems which faced her family. For instance, his husband goes to search for a woman who resembled her, meaning that her presence was of much significance. Further, Genji also sets on a journey of grooving Murasaki to emulate the characters of Lady Fujitsubo, who had the similar traits to her mum’s. consequently, this indicates that the death of Genji’s mother separated her from a life where her family depended on her. Further death also separates Genji, Murasaki and Emperor Kiritsubo from the life, they had always embraced. Conclusion Intuitively, the writer uses this tale to indicate that evanescence controls everything in the world, and there is no one who can control the perpetual existence of an aspect in the society. The use of death instances has also helped the writer to show the power of evanescence in controlling humans’ activities. Death separates Lady Kiritsubo, Genji, Murasaki and Emperor Kiritsubo from the life they had always embraced. The tale is also complete narration of the impermanence of love. Many characters in the tale involve themselves in love, which later becomes like an illusion to them. In addition, the tale indicates the possibility of evanescence of family values in the society. Even though the family values are always important pillar supporting marriages and family peace, the writer shows that there is no permanence to this. References Murasaki, S. (2006). The tale of Genji. Tokyo: Tuttle Pub. Read More