Shiga Naova’s “The Paper Door”

During one of the nights, the paper door between their rooms is opened. The neighboring family questions Suzu, who denies having opened the door. However, the young master then informs the other family that he too saw the door open. In shame, the other family, after questioning Suzu, packs their belongings and leave. The young master does not see Suzu again, though as she departs, he describes wanting to tell her something. Years later, the narrator has a chance run in with the family, but Suzu is no longer with them. Furthermore, the family pretends not to know or recognize him, and he does the same.

The narrator concludes the story with the fact that Suzu’s disappearance from his life did not make him sad; as he never loved her in the way that he felt she loved him. He describes her as a simple country girl who thought that staring intently at another meant love (Naoya).  He clarifies that nothing occurred during the few times the paper door between their rooms slid open, but that the implications behind such an action are what ultimately caused the two families to drift apart.

The story places great emphasis on the formation of the family during the early 20th century in Japan’s history. During that time, families were required to conform to a multigenerational household system. This system was implemented by the Japanese government to purposefully move families away from industrialization. In this system, all power fell to the head of the household, as well as the men of the household.

Furthermore, the story emphasizes the roles of women during the early 20th century, as well as the differences in social status (Peletz). The wife of the neighboring family is subordinate to her husband, though she has more freedoms than most due to her husband’s status as a lawyer. Their maid, Suzu, has even less freedom, and is eventually the cause of the family’s departure due to the implication of shame that she has brought on the family through her actions. Although she is not proven guilty of committing any infidelity, the implication that she may have risen above her station is culturally viewed as shameful.

The gender roles in the early 20th century reveal that while the young man is able to look as he desires at Suzu, her looks in return are viewed as improper. Women during the 20th century were not permitted to rise above their status, or to initiate relations with young men. The young man’s input is ultimately the cause of the other family’s desire to end their vacation, as his confession implies that Suzu has committed an infidelity. The family reveals that she was to be wed. The story concludes with the narrator revealing that nothing occurred between the two, but that in meeting later, the families pretended not to know one another. The simple act of sliding open the paper door was seen as dishonorable, in a society that placed heavy emphasis on gender roles, both men and women’s roles within their families, and the result of actions and consequences on all of the members of the family.

This story reveals the inequality and view of gender roles, social status, and family life within Japan during the early 20th century. It emphasizes, through a narrator that is describing an event in his life, that he has experienced these inequalities and recognizes the unfairness with which she was treated. Although he ultimately can do nothing to change the situation, he does think to do so, describing him as thinking to say something to her before she leaves. However, it is shown that while he thinks to do this, he ultimately conforms to his role in society.

The ending of the story feels justified, and is not something to be changed. It is the end of the narrator’s journey with the friend, and of his retelling of Suzu. There is little more he could possibly add after recounting all that he knew of what happened to her. He concludes too with the reminder that the sliding of the paper door held no meaning other than a potential infatuation. He reflects often on this story, and on Suzu’s whereabouts, indicating that he has considered the unfairness in the consequences of Suzu’s actions.

The story reveals not only the traditional roles of women and family leading up to the 20th century, but also in the way that the roles were beginning to change due to the political climate at the time. It is an important narrative, acted out by characters who see the politics of the time through the eyes of children, rather than adults, but ultimately suffer the cultural and political consequences of adults. While the narrator and Suzu are able to be together as children, it is ultimately society’s view of their potential adult actions that produce the consequences that remain with them for the rest of their lives. While Suzu is sent away, the narrator is able to carry on with his life. It is unknown what has happened to Suzu, but the reactions of the family indicate that they have not forgotten the sliding of the paper door. This familial disgrace is typical of the early 20th century, and is demonstrated well in the narrative.

In Hirabayashi Taiko’s “Demon Goddess”, Keiko bears a little girl named Yoshiko. The child’s arrival is described as sudden, giving Keiko little time to prepare as a mother (Taiko). In the first scene, she puts on Yoshiko’s dress backwards. However, Keiko is also shown to love her, and to be fascinated by the things she does. The narrator places emphasis on Keiko describing Yoshiko’s flesh as that of a young animal, noting that it is easier for Keiko to think of her in this manner. Keiko is shown to long to be like other mothers, though her vision is described as too clear (Taiko).

Her life story prior to the present day is revealed, along with the events that have lead to her marriage to her husband and the birth of Yoshiko. She rises above an illness in her early life, continuing on and living until she reaches forty years of age. During this time, Yoshiko is born. She grows from living a carefree life to vowing to dedicate herself to her child. Keiko’s marriage to her husband, while seemingly perfect in the eyes of outsiders, is revealed to not be so. Her focus falls to caring for Yoshiko.

In the final scene, Keiko has been routinely washing Yoshiko, and has become particularly fascinated with her growing womanhood. Keiko, being ignorant of how she herself works, believes it is her duty to preserve and to understand this part of her own daughter. She has washed this same place, and through the narration, it can be understood that she has done so to the growing discomfort of her daughter. Keiko is once more attempting to wash her daughter when, for the first time, her daughter refuses her. Keiko insists, even attempting to physically force Yoshiko to comply, but Yoshiko refuses her, at first gently, and then by verbally lashing out at her. Keiko is, as she is often revealed throughout the story, surprised and unprepared for her daughter’s reaction. She is often described as a blank piece of paper, easily imprinted on by the actions of those around her, but those most especially of her daughter.

The story is an autobiographically inspired story, inspired heavily by Taiko’s adoption of her younger brother’s daughter. During the year 1946 in Japan, the role of women in Japan were slowly shifting, as the constitution for women’s rights was drawn up. Western influence had begun to encourage women to more actively participate in politics, and to take on less traditional or stereotypical roles within their society (Sugimoto). While these changes occurred in order to give women more active roles in politics and in their society, the role of women primarily remained those of the homemaker and as subordinate to their husbands.

Certain aspects of the culture remained the same. Feminine behaviors of women were characterized by tidiness, modesty, compliance, and self-reliance (Lebra). The story of the Demon Goddess focuses heavily on drawing comparisons between Keiko and Yoshiko’s behaviors not only to those of society’s view on the feminine role, but also to the outcome of the legend of Kishimojin. In this legend, the demon goddess is a devourer of children (Coulter). Keiko’s role in the household is to take care of her daughter, to maintain the household, and to play a subordinate role to her husband. Keiko is expected to be self-reliant, and she is revealed to be unprepared in many aspects of her life. She is described as a blank sheet of paper, on which others imprint their ink.

It is because she is unable to understand or to be self-reliant that her daughter, Yoshiko, begins to grow into a less compliant and more independent individual. The washing ritual between the two, and the changing dynamic of their conversations, emphasizes the way in which Yoshiko moves from being a compliant, feminine daughter to a more self-aware, outspoken woman. Her evolution alludes to the new and slow evolution of the growing political role of women in Japan, where women were becoming more educated and more involved in the politics of the country.

The story presents a fascinating point of view regarding the changing political climate of 1946 Japan, as well as an insight into the author’s own life circumstance at the time. The mix of traditions and familiar mythologies of the culture draw a story-long parallel that help the reader to understand the changing role of women, from the older generation to their children. Keiko represents a woman fascinated by tradition, and unable to understand or handle change. Yoshiko by contrast, simply exhibits the behaviors of a child who grows with the understanding of who she is, and that she has a voice in her home.

While the entire story was fascinating, the ending does not entirely tie the piece together. The reader would need familiarity with the mythologies and historical contexts in which the author and child are living, and the references to the legend give the piece a more fictional rather than autobiographical tone. The ending rushes to draw the parallel between the piece and the legend, attempting to weave the three lives seamlessly into one when the reader has only gained glimpses of each character. Keiko as the blank slate of the story does not give her revelation at the end as much justification. The ending appears abrupt, as if the three stories needed to come together before the end of the page.

Overall, the piece alludes to women’s changing roles within Japan during 1946. While many aspects of their lives remained the same, the rebellion in Yoshiko demonstrates that the new generation of women was beginning to take on more active political roles. Understanding the author’s own life story, as well as the legend that runs as a theme throughout the story may better aid the reader in finding justification in the use of the legend throughout. While the piece is one that can be appreciated as culturally relevant, and a glimpse into the lives of women in Japan as well as the life of the author, it is a piece that ultimately requires intricate political and traditional understanding for the use of the legend to make sense.

Works Cited

Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (2000), "Kishimojin", Encyclopedia of Ancient 

Deities, 

Lebra, Takie Sugiyama (1985). Japanese women : constraint and fulfillment (Pbk. ed.). 

Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press. 

Peletz, Michael G. (2011). Gender, Sexuality, and Body Politics in Modern Asia. Ann Arbor, 

Michigan: Association for Asian Studies. 

Rimer, J. Thomas., and Van C. Gessel. “Demon Goddess” The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature. Columbia University, 2007.

Rimer, J. Thomas., and Van C. Gessel. “The Paper Door” The Columbia Anthology of Modern 

Japanese Literature. Columbia University, 2007.

Sugimoto, Yoshio (1997). An Introduction to Japanese Society. Cambridge: Cambridge 

University Press.