“It was as if the little girl named Chiyo, running barefoot from the pond to her tipsy house, no longer existed. I felt that this new girl, Sayuri, with her gleaming white face and her red lips, had destroyed her.” (Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha 167)
This quote reveals both character and theme within its context. Sayuri is Chiyo’s geisha name, and she feels that she’s lost her true identity by changing her name. Her character has evolved into someone she does not recognize anymore.
Arthur Golden wants to relay an important novel theme with this quote. He means to imply Sayuri’s coming of age as it applies to the events that have advanced her to become a geisha. He also leaves the reader wondering whether coming of age is always a positive thing. Is Sayuri any better of a human being than Chiyo was? Although Chiyo led an underprivileged life, she was happy. Sayuri on the other hand, is a suppressed individual. She lives day by day unable to express her feelings and emotions. She is forced to bottle up any thoughts and opinions she has and never release them in the open.
The destruction of Chiyo is a representation of character growth and change. Sayuri’s geisha identity consumed the girl she once was, Chiyo, “running barefoot from the pond to her tipsy house”. The simplicity and purity of Chiyo’s character was innocent, while Sayuri is so much more wrecked by the difficulties of life. Sayuri can never be free, as she will always remain scarred by what she has been through.
This quote was chosen to render Sayuri’s character development. Because of what Sayuri has been through, she has become a strong and self reliant person. Sayuri does not see the world as a bright place because it isn’t a bright place. The world is a cruel place, and she knows this is true. She doesn’t seem to see the light just yet, but maybe one day Sayuri will find the light in her otherwise darkened world. Perhaps she’ll experience a moment where no darkness can mask the happiness she feels. Perhaps one day she’ll meet Chiyo again.
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4 comments:
Excellent character analysis! Very insightful! :)
Thanks Mz. C!
When you wrote " Sayuri can never be free, as she will always remain scarred by what she has been through."
What has she been through?
Well Sayuri was sold into a geisha okiya by her dad, which is the first obstacle she had to overcome (feelings of loneliness, questioning how her father could do such a thing etc.). Then she was mistreated by the other geisha in the house, and after that she learned of her parents' deaths, which brought her down even more. Despite these things though, Sayuri maintained her strong mentality and continued to face problems with a determined approach...
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