All the readings we did are centered around women, focusing on their relationship with men and their own struggles. Across these stories, there are two main themes that dominate: obsession and toxic relationships, both of which show how women's desires and attachments can lead to their loss of self, or to discovering themselves.
The Ice Man and The Straw Husband, the women marry non-humans who represent men who are emotionally detached and isolated. These stories suggest that staying in such relationships destroys the women's sense of self. Even though the people around them warn them, the women continue anyway, which reflects the dynamic of many toxic relationships. Part of this comes from loneliness and the desire for connection -- even when that connection is harmful. For example, Tomoko in The Straw Husband realizes her husband can't truly understand her feelings, yet he still insists on telling her what to do, like how to run properly. Similarly, in The Ice Man, the narrator admits to feeling "so alone," but she has already surrendered to life with her cold, distant husband, as shown by how she moved to Antarctica with him. These show how women cling to unhealthy partners even when they recognize the damage, reflecting the cycle of many toxic relationships.
The other stories, The Greengrocer's Daughter, Smartening Up, Silently Burning, and Dojoji, shift the focus to obsession itself. In The Greengrocer's Daughter, Oshici becomes so consumed with her love for the young samurai that she sets fire to her house just to see him again. Her obsession leads indirectly to her own execution. Silently Burning retells Oshichi's legend in a more modern lens, showing how women today still relate to her passion and come to her temple to pray. However, different people perceive her obsession in different ways, and in our main character, she found her passion for calligraphy without even realizing it. In Smartening Up and Dojoji, both obsessions are created by heartbreak, and they end up physically transforming into monsters.
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