Gender Representation in “Apple and Knife” and “Kitchen”

This essay will look at how is gender portrayed through literature in the 2 chosen texts, “Apple and Knife” by Intan Paramaditha and ”Kitchen” by Banana Yoshimoto, and the societal influences on the formulation of gender identities. These two texts are both produced by Asian writers, from similar societies and cultures, which are to be considered conservative or collectivist and encompass the traditional oriental values. Therefore the following paper will be divided into mainly three parts: the portrayal of gender in ”Kitchen” and the Japanese society that shaped the gender identity, then the portrayal of gender in ”Apple and Knife” and Indonesian society’s construction of gender identity and finally offering a comparison of the two texts and the two communities about gender. The depiction of the females in both literal works showcases the transformation that the society had accrued itself to in order to have a moment of reflection on how gender issues were supposed to be handled. The characters represent the way different societies are enhanced to accept the role that each gender is supposed to play in the actualization of the day to day living and it is not supposed to exceed the confinement of those cultures. Cultures have been portrayed in these two literal works to have been the focal point under which the female characters are able to present themselves, and it is either they rise and take part in their lives, or they fold under the rules of patriarchy which s domineering and misogynistic.

Intan Paramaditha and Banana Yoshimoto have mastered different approaches in showcasing the representation of gender especially the role of the women in the society and their ability to adapt and cope with the hurdles that they face in their family settings. Intan Paramaditha is able to represent the role that the Indonesian women had played in establishing themselves as individuals who had a role of ensuring that they could be seen as independent and are able to take control of their lives. Therefore, the agenda that they use to showcase this s represented through the portrayal of how Juli was able to rise above the ranks of a male-dominated society through her hard work and educational background which allowed her to hold a managerial position at her workplace. This is in contrast to the other women like aunt Romlah, and Rina who seems to be embedded in matters of tradition that require women to act in a particular manner especially in matters of marriage and bringing up a family. Banana Yoshimoto, on the other hand, is able to write about female characters in contemporary Japanese culture where the author wants to portray the independence aspect of the women. Through Mikage Sakurai who had been left destitute and heartbroken through the loss of her parents and grandparents, she is able to bring out the independent nature of Eriko who is a transgender. Therefore, the concepts of educating the readers in perspectives of how those two different societies are able to embrace and accept the role of women show a big difference in matters of integrating independent women in their respective cultures[1].

The language that the writers used are created in such a manner that it is used to shape the concept of gender so that it can represent how different societies have been able to relate to the women. In Intan Paramaditha’s work which is based on an Indonesian society, the central theme that is prevalent in terms of gender and cultural practice is supposed to represent a society that is inclined towards portraying women as control objects that are supposed to work within certain confinements. Throughout the text, the women all they do is gossip, talk about matters of raising the children and how a woman is supposed to behave in the society. In reference, to the religious texts of Quranic recitation, it shows that the Indonesian society works within the aspects of religion that seems to make the women dress and live in a particular manner. However, the same issues are represented differently by Banana Yoshimoto in ”Kitchen” because she represents a woman (Eriko) who had to change her gender so that she can be able to accord her child (Yuichi) the care and upbringing that would make him a decent young man[2]. Therefore, Mikage is able to learn about suffering, heartache, desperation, and resilience through the life that Yuichi and Eriko live. In that perspective, it shows that the characters are able to accord the woman the right to live her life in accordance to the demands that are set by the Japanese culture.

 Intan Paramaditha is able to represent how the women in her story ”Apple and Knife” play part in conforming each other in regards to the rules and regulations that have been existence in a society that is embedded in religion and maleness. In this context, she showcases the part that each person is supposed to play especially the women and the men by using a language that is highly masculine oriented. ”The aunts who are supposed to shape the younger women characters do not understand the concept of having a woman who is comfortable with her body and who is able to make her own choices that are supposed to benefit them[3]. Instead, they have to act in accordance with the demands of the society which are inclined towards subjecting the women to trivial issues that are not beneficial to them. Juli seems to be the center of their gossiping circle because she has decided to go against the wishes and actions of the culture that they were brought up. Aunt Romlah terms her action of failing to rent out the extra room in her spacious room and later when she meets and hooks up with a male friend they call the act shameful as it seems that she had lured the guy into her bed[4]. Therefore, the language that is prevalent throughout the text is used to condemn the action of the woman who seems to be independent-minded and who goes against the norms of the society.

Juli is a representation of a woman who has been able to accept that the society does not owe her happiness and she has to act in accordance to her own will whether the other women will be in awe or they will gossip about her. The narrator who talks about Juli’s predicament shows her she draws inspiration from her because she is able to stand up against the conformists of society by challenging the doctrines that are set in matters of bearing children, choosing of a career and even divorce in a marriage that does not seem to work for Juli. Chilla Bulbeck is able to explain this phenomenon that is found in young Chinese, Indians, Japanese and Australians who are based on matters of gender and how they circumvent those issues[5]. Therefore, the understanding that Chilla Bulbeck creates is that there issues of transforming subjectivity and ideologies in matters of transforming human identity. These issues are represented through the story of Juli in the Indonesian culture that feels the role of a woman should be strictly based in understanding how they are supposed to better their lives within the family context while ensuring that matters of culture and religion are respected.

From the secondary reading ‘Yoshimoto Banana Writes Home: Shojo Culture and the Nostalgic Subject that is supposed to influence the literary culture amongst the Japanese culture. Yoshimoto Banana had published the book at a tender age when the quest for acceptability of a contemporary form of literary culture had begun to be accepted by the people and the educational sector. While Yoshimoto is able to be influential amongst the young reads who had begun to accept the role of having different genders in the society, her fictional work cannot be described as the epitome of Japanese culture. The Shojo culture which had begun to be prominent amongst the young Japanese people were shaped by the way that Yoshimoto Banana had been able to capture the attention of her readers who were on average high school age and approximately 3Oyears[6]. In this essence, it shows that the acceptance of a writer in the Japanese society especially if they are women, they require to have a niche in the market that was supposed to fill in a void that had been left by the male authors who had dominated. Therefore, when Yoshimoto Banana was able to create a family that had been left motherless in ”Kitchen”, she was invoking the emotions of the reads as well as that of the society on whether they were ready to accept another trend that had risen in Japanese culture. Modernism and modernist literature according to Banana is what had inspired her to be a great writer rather than to be compared with her father Takaaki who is a famous literary figure in Japan.

Vera Mackie on her article Portrayals of Transgendered Lives in Japan represents the way that the changes in matters of gender are shrouded in controversy especially through the transformation of a man into a woman. In both female to male (FtM) transformations and male to female (MtF) changes showcases a society that had been able to live with the reality that people can be able to become anything that they wanted as long as they were within the law[7]. However, in Japan, the changes and transformation of sexuality had moved from small-scale newsletters, support groups and they had spiraled into the mass media. In this context, it was the same platform that Yoshimoto Banana and other authors had been able to write and give an account of how transgender people are supposed to be acknowledged as being part of the society. Nomachi Mineko’s experience, coupled with the life that she had to live in a man’s body and the discrimination and gender-based violence she faced shows a society that was not ready to accept those changes. These gender changes are clearly described with reason by Yoshimoto Banana in the ”Kitchen” and what had necessitated those changes. Mikage Sakurai in the ”Kitchen” and the way that she describes Eriko shows the transformation that she had made as a transgender woman in a male-dominated society that was enshrined in traditional cultural values. Eriko and Chiko open up a gay bar in Japan where they constantly face abuse and violence from male patrons, and these are some of the challenges that transgender people live with on a daily basis[8]. Therefore, Eriko knows about the difficulties of being a woman, a man and a transgender in Japan and Yoshimoto does a good job in representing the acceptance of all people irrespective of how a society is created.

Censorship of Yoshimoto Banana’s ”Kitchen” throughout different societies is able to represent the political, social and cultural impediments that are found around the world especially when it comes to the translations[9]. Through the description of gender-based issues and the reference of societies that may be considered controversial is usually left out so that it can be able to fulfill matters of literal threshold so it can be accepted by the general masses. Therefore, Intan Paramaditha in her story ”Apple and Knife” may be censored especially in the Indonesian society that is bent on controlling the women so that they can live within the cultural parameters. Therefore, through the two chosen texts, ”Apple and Knife” by Intan Paramaditha and ”Kitchen” by Banana Yoshimoto, there has been a clear display of how the Japanese and Indonesian societies approach those matters differently. However, the subsequent articles have been able to showcase how those societies can represent matters of gender and how they can be tackled to ensure that literature is understood better in serving cultural issues.

Bibliography

Bulbeck, Chilla. “Fond of cooking, interested in studies, a good daughter.”Contributions to         Indian Sociology 44, no. 1-2 (2010): 129-153.

Intan Paramaditha’s ”Apple and Knife”. Translated by Stephen Epstein. (2015).

Mackie, Vera. “How to be a girl: Mainstream media portrayals of transgendered lives in Japan.”Asian Studies Association of Australia 32, no. 3 (2008): 411-423.

Ohsawa, Yoshihiro. “’Censorship’in Translation: Political Correctness in Hugh Lofting’s the       Story of Doctor Dolittle and Yoshimoto Banana’s Kitchen.”Yearbook of Comparative   and General Literature 54, no. 1 (2008): 34-43.

Treat, John Whittier. “Yoshimoto Banana writes home: shojo culture and the nostalgic subject.”          Journal of Japanese Studies 19, no. 2 (1993): 353-387.

Yoshimoto, Banana. “Kitchen. Translated by Megan Backus.”New York (1993).

[1]

Yoshimoto, Banana. “Kitchen. Translated by Megan Backus.”New York (1993).

[2]

Yoshimoto, Banana. “Kitchen. Translated by Megan Backus.”New York (1993).

[3]

Intan Paramaditha’s ”Apple and Knife”. Translated by Stephen Epstein. (2015).

[4]

Intan Paramaditha’s “Apple and Knife”. Translated by Stephen Epstein. (2015).

[5]

Bulbeck, Chilla. ”Fond of cooking, interested in studies, a good daughter.“Contributions to         Indian Sociology 44, no. 1-2 (2010): 129-153.

[6]

Treat, John Whittier. ”Yoshimoto Banana writes home: shojo culture and the nostalgic subject.“               Journal of Japanese Studies 19, no. 2 (1993): 353-387.

[7]

Mackie, Vera. ”How to be a girl: Mainstream media portrayals of transgendered lives in Japan.“  Asian Studies Association of Australia 32, no. 3 (2008): 411-423.

[8] Yoshimoto, Banana. ”Kitchen. Translated by Megan Backus.“New York (1993).

[9]

Ohsawa, Yoshihiro. ”’Censorship’in Translation: Political Correctness in Hugh Lofting’s the         Story of Doctor Dolittle and Yoshimoto Banana’s Kitchen.“Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature 54, no. 1 (2008): 34-43.