Reader Response to Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha is Arthur Golden's debut novel, written exquisitely with great detail. It was initially written as a novel that would depict the son borne of a geisha and a Japanese businessman, but once he had learned the true nature of a geisha, he changed his topic. Golden discovered the intrigue of the geisha - the attributes that draw in the geisha's customers, that make them an irreplaceable part of Japanese history, that make them human as well as the ideal of what a woman should be. When these features were displayed through Sayuri's voice, the novel became an emotionally enrapturing story, which drew in the reader and captivated the heart. I, personally, was affected deeply by this novel. I have always been drawn in by Japanese culture, even as a child. When I learned of the geisha for the first time, I thought I even wanted to be one someday. While reading this novel, any fantasies I may have had of what a geisha was were completely reshaped. This novel convinced me that the geisha truly were artists - they were trained and hired as musicians, dancers, conversationalists, jokesters, and "drinking buddies", so to speak. The geisha incorporate both the demure and the vulgar aspects of the human spirit, and created instead a playful and desirable companion for the stressed and lonely businessmen.
When I learned of the "mizuage," the supposed Japanese term for the occasion upon which a young geisha's virginity is auctioned off to the highest bidder, I was absolutely shocked. Here was a culture that had prided itself for hundreds of years on being one of the most civilized, and yet -- according to this author -- it permitted young girls to first be sold into the as-depicted near-slavery of the geisha trade, and then to have their virginity sold. I learned to see these events from Sayuri's point of view. She saw life as being like a stream, with events that are beyond our control, but in which we can paddle and make the best of the twists and turns. Sayuri saw that if she had never been sold into the geisha profession, she would never have formed the meaningful friendships she had over the years. She would never have learned the amazing skills that a geisha possesses. Most of all, however, she would never have met the love of her life, 'the Chairman.' While she missed the simplicity and purity of her childhood life in a poor fishing village on the sea, she realized the beauty and incredible richness of the life she had lived in the Gion district of Kyoto. She also discovered this same wonder in her new American life in the bustling city of New York. This affected me deeply, mainly because it offered the softer voice of a Japanese woman to the many I have heard in my lifetime that claim that life is what one makes of it. It was written believably, as well. If Sayuri's difficult life was made into one of amazing beauty and charm, then one can imagine what can become of the typical life of a teenager in America.
Another aspect of the novel that truly opened my eyes was the idea that a Southern-raised American man could write a novel (relatively) convincingly from the position of a 1920's-born Japanese geisha. The character of Sayuri, based from studies of geisha and a particular woman of the name of Mineko Iwasaki - one of Gion's most renowned geisha of the 1960's and 70's - lived through a difficult profession that is now, in the modernized world, slowly dying out. With only a few thousand geisha left in all of Japan, as opposed to the flourishing numbers of the past, the profession is something often seen as an aspect of ancient Japan, and nothing more. This novel seemed to be an incredible feat of crossing both gender and cultural barriers in order to depict a novel of amazing humanity and grace. Not only did this have an emotional impact, but it also opened my eyes to new styles of writing. While the writing was simple, it crossed the same barriers that were emotionally crossed throughout the novel.
Initially I did not think it possible, but after reading the novel I found it to be true - it is possible for people to truly understand one another despite any boundaries. Whether they be due to gender, age, culture, politics, or any other reason, these boundaries can be overcome by simply learning about one another, about everyone's own personal histories, and trying to understand them as people rather than objects. Memoirs of a Geisha defied many boundaries and was able to create an intimate - and greatly appreciated - relationship between the reader and a fictional geisha from, essentially, another world. It was truly an incredible novel.Partner sites: Rottweiler, Spanish immersion program Spain, and Free Death of a Salesman Essays