The Tale Of Genji By Royall Tyler: An Analysis

1510 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender inequality in the tale of genji

Have you ever fallen in love with a ten-year-old girl? Chances are probably not. In The Tale of Genji, translated by Royall Tyler, the hero does fall in love with one—our heroine, however. The book tells the story of the esteemed Genji’s—son of the Japanese Emperor—various love and sexual experiences. Chapter five focusses specifically on his pursuit of Murasaki. The young girl, while far too young to understand the nuances of romance, is pursued and eventually taken by the charming yet asinine nobleman. Taken? No, kidnaped is a better word. Now, while this sounds like reprehensible behavior, Genji is still the hero of the story. And Murasaki is his heroine. Meaning he holds connections to Radway’s ideal hero. Both Radway’s hero and Genji are …show more content…

Even though some of his actions are questionable at best, and he didn’t have to open up to the heroine, Genji puts on a caring exterior for Murasaki. Telling her that she is welcome to “’sleep on [his] lap’” (Tyler 115). While this may have been more-so for his own wants, it still reflects his effort to consider her needs—in this case, how the young flower is sleepy. The narrator also states, “He (Genji) devoted himself… to making Murasaki feel at home” (Tyler 124). Not to mention how one of his decisions is derived from fear for her fate and wellbeing: “’[If she went to her father’s place,] she might be treated more as a nuisance… since she does not yet understand very well what is expected of her’” (Tyler 114). Despite such an action being reprehensible, he did it out of love and adoration rather than sinister …show more content…

It’s undeniable that Genji is a powerful member of Heian Society. His father is the emperor. Not to mention that Genji will have people lining up to meet him: “Genji was entering his carriage [to leave the temple] when a crowd of young gentlemen… arrived to see him home” (Tyler 103). If Men as noble as they would come to such a remote place just to see someone home, he has to be important. But what about money? When Genji is leaving the temple, he ‘sent for the varied gifts, formal and informal” (Tyler 102). A trip like this couldn’t have been cheap as is, but he still had the money to reward the temple’s inhabitants generously after his stay. And, even as he wallows in self-pity over his forbidden loves, he still decides to go out and smash, “He… made up his mind to visit the lady he had been seeing in secret” (Tyler

Show More
Related

  • Beowulf Is Not a Modern Day Hero

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    A hero has to go in a journey. He has to struggle throughout the story to grow as a character. They generally triumph at the story´s conclusion. Humans tend to admire the ones that had to suffer to be in the top. We like to associate heroism with someone that surpass many

    Read More

  • Heroism In Beowulf

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bravery is not the only trait in which a hero possesses. A hero needs and has more than one heroic quality, just like no flower is complete without its vibrant colors and sweet smell. Goodness can be compared to that of a flower’s vibrant colors and sweet smell.

    Read More

  • A Hero in the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Novel Monkey

    1842 Words  | 4 Pages

    When asking people about what characteristics they think of when they think of a hero the most common answers would be doing good deeds and not allowing evil to flourish. This is what we have been made to believe. One of the first images that come to mind when the word hero is mentioned is a superhero. An image of Batman or Superman is likely, one who is good natured and conquers evil as it appears. Just doing good deeds or not committing evil sins is not enough. First you would have to distinguish the difference between an evil and a good action. The line between good and evil is so thin that specific attributes and certain actions are constantly being exchanged back and forth. We cannot decide as a society what is good and what is evil. A modern day example would be when the United States made the decision to bomb Japan during World War II. For Americans celebration ensued as it was thought to be a decisive moment of victory. Those who were involved in t...

    Read More

  • Heroes Vs Antiheroes Analysis

    1391 Words  | 3 Pages

    The bulk of the praise a hero receives tends to be in response to his or her actions. People look up to the heroes who can perform the most miraculous feats. However, there is an element of heroism beyond the superficial element of a hero’s actions: the hero’s character. Both heroes and antiheroes might do great things; however, the similarities end where motivations are considered, and these differences in motivations are rooted in the differences in the character of heroes and the antiheroes. An antihero’s character is flawed, leading to actions based on selfish and impure motivations. In contrast, a hero is characterized by his or her selflessness; this can be defined as putting the interests of others above the interests of oneself, and

    Read More

  • Comparison of Characters and The Definition of a Hero

    911 Words  | 2 Pages

    Heroes are rarely seen in today's world. Too many people are worried about money or power to be concerned with others around them. But then that leads to the definition of a hero. It is possibly a person who does moral good in the world, or perhaps someone who stands up for those who do not have the power to do so themselves. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, but people must remember that they are still human. They do make mistakes and they can be selfish. Such is the case in both Hamlet and Tempest. Both main characters have been slighted in some way and both eventually get their revenge. They are similar and different in the ways that they go about this business. Thus, Hamlet and Prospero shall be discussed in detail to each other and how they performed as the "hero" of the play.

    Read More

  • Arrogance of Greek Heroes

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    Not every hero is a perfect model of character, but these well-known heroes of epic poetry do have powerful senses of honor and endeavor. Perhaps the authors meant these characters to exhibit flaws, or to relate to an idealized hero image that modern readers cannot understand. Regardless, it cannot be assumed that these characters are driven by a simple egotism, but rather by the same desire of many other men to be remembered, especially to be remembered for great things.

    Read More

  • Exploring African Folklore: Tales, Traditions and Childhood

    2412 Words  | 5 Pages

    Folklore is traditional stories within cultures that are passed down through generations some of which are myths, legends, and, fairy tales. Legends are stories based on historical facts that have been exaggerated or changed up over time. Myths are stories of gods demigods and other supernatural characters. Fairy tales involve creatures that are completely out of the ordinary. These stories are hard to believe because most of it is nonexistent. African folklore is heavily concentrated on fairy tales because because it has to do so much with their customs and traditions. African folklores involve more animals than people to entertain young ones more that older ones. The kids are the future of the culture so their values have to do with the children

    Read More

  • Defining a Hero

    2189 Words  | 5 Pages

    To the world today, a hero is someone distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, or strength; but really, anyone can be a hero. A hero can vary from someone as well-known as George Washington to someone as unheard of as anyone’s very own mother. Someone who has done a good deed for someone else is hero. The biggest heroes are the ones in well-known books and plays, such as Odysseus from The Odyssey, or have made a huge difference in the history of this world, like Mahatma Gandhi. Siddhartha Gautama is a hero, but not in the same way Odysseus or Gandhi are. Although these three influential people went through different journeys in order to accomplish different things, they are all heroes in their own way and have been through the same cycle of the road of trials and crisis/salvation.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis on Edwidge Danticat’s A Wall of Fire Rising

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...rson and he knows that she will take care of the little guy even if the Guy is not around. A distort desire to be free of the situation drive the whole family into tragedy and leave them grieves

    Read More

  • Modern Heroes: Dante Vs. Beowulf

    977 Words  | 2 Pages

    When I think of society’s modern heroes today the fictional characters of Batman and Spiderman come to mind because they protect the lives of the people in the communities from the bad guys. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero because he makes the reader feel he is a larger than life character than those of human characteristics. However, Dante’s main character makes the reader feel his emotional roll a coaster and sensitivity as in everyman towards the sinner in the depths of The Inferno. It is interesting how modern heroes show much of the same qualities as

    Read More

  • huck finn

    1676 Words  | 4 Pages

    boy attitude and tough outside, while also having a good heart and a caring personality. His character brings out the reader’s ‘id’ as Freud would say. It brings out the naughtiness inside the reader’s personality, while still making him lovable because he is really a good person on the inside.

    Read More

  • A Feminist Reading of the Tempest

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...n her mind is more important than his words. It is an example of the patriarchal society that they live in; although he is her father and has the parental power over her he would most likely not speak to a son in such a demeaning tone. He makes her seem to be slow, as if she cannot carry on a conversation or listen to him, which is quite demeaning.

    Read More

  • What makes a Hero?

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    The word hero is a familiar word to most, and many people believe they fully understand that meaning. Quite often, they really do not. Expressing kindness is not a difficult task all it takes is a bit of caring and consideration to do something for the benefit of someone else. As Barron (2002) states, “here’s another way to think about it: A hero does something truly important, regardless of whether anyone ever notices. Heroism, then, is about character. The qualities a person carries down inside” (p. 12).

    Read More

  • Heroism Essay: The Definition Of Heroism

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever known what being heroic is like? Well if you don't, you’ll want to find out, If you’ve ever watched a movie with a hero in it you should have a good idea of what being heroic should be but there are a lot more characteristics to a hero. Superman flies and saves people with his super strength but his weakness is kryptonite, Superman is kind, brave, and fearless. If you know spiderman he is fearless to so it is a thing that is pretty common with heroes and that's why ordinary people are heroes to it's just that they don't get noticed as they should. Although many acts of heroism don’t always have a happy ending and most heroic deeds go unnoticed, a hero is selfless for the protection of others and doesn’t

    Read More

  • Defining Heroism: Key Qualities of a Hero

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever thought about what qualities make a hero? Many people would define a hero as a cartoon character for example Superman or Batman or Someone that fly’s into burning building, fights evil and always rescues the world. They would also have super powers like super strength, also have the ability to fly. Others consider a hero as someone that acts of bravery as heroism. And, those who have performed truly amazing acts in the face of grave danger. Some consider firefighter, law enforcement, military and civil right activist our everyday heroes. What we all know is that every hero need to have qualities like bravery, determination, be willing to sacrifice, and self-confidence to be able to achieve their purpose and to be consider a hero.

    Read More

More about The Tale Of Genji By Royall Tyler: An Analysis

Open Document