“Child’s Play” by Higuchi Ichiyo

Midori Shota Nobu Sangoro Chokichi      Coming of Age story in a kind of underworld setting. The burdens of financial survival (the future for the children) juxtaposed with kind of pure play (and also, street gang kind of rivalry).      Background—The Tale of the Genji, by Lady Murasaki. Classic tale where Genji becomes the heroic figure—of love. His weapons—poetry, and tears (signs of his sensitivity. High aesthetics and degrees of purity (following Shinto-style purification rituals).      Yoshiwara district—the district of courtesans. Midori’s sister a rather famous one. The district economy seems to be dependent on the visitors to the district.      How to describe the story? One might say it is the story of the impossibility for love to bloom, in a natural way, in such an environment.      About whom is the love story? Is it Midori and Shota (at least from his side, yes) or Midori and Nobu?       Back to background. A somewhat lengthy opening chapter describes the neighborhood and its relation to the quarter. Typical practices and professions, some hypothetical tales of what happens with inhabitants. http://www.baxleystamps.com/litho/meiji/1899061211.shtml      The description of the school. (Note about school in Mejii era Japan, trying to sculpt an allegiance to the nation instead of a local (feudal) kind of allegiance. Here, it seems to be thwarted (see 1809, as the national songs are supplanted by local popular favorites).      Nobu, then Chokichi, then Midori.      For Nobu, the predominant feature seems to be his parentage. For Midori, it seems to be her appearance, also her sister plays such a prominent role. Even her generosity, which is admirable on the surface (it also gives her a kind of power) is a result of her sister’s prosperity. One interesting aspect—when is her sister seen? Only at the end, when Midori herself seems to have undergone her own (professional) transformation. Then Shota—who is also described according to his demeanor. See 1813—“Shota’s handsome eyes lit up.” Top of 1814—he is described even more extravagantly.      With Sangoro, we get another kind of “type,” and we also have a rather detailed description of a parent—here the rickshaw driver father.      Later, we get a fairly detailed description of Nobu’s father (page 1824), and a picture of Shobu’s grandmother, who is his guardian. These depictions of parents—the grown-up versions of the children, show the subservient nature of the one, the less than stellar holiness of the other, priestly one, and the third who is wholly reliant on a kind of exploitive moneylending practice. It seems that all these children are destined to follow in the footsteps, except that Sangoro may not be as abjectly subservient as dad (though he seems as doomed to poverty). Three Scenes that seem crucial to the kinds of awareness that are blooming in the story. 1. The fight at the paper shop between Chokici’s gang and Sangoro, with Midori receiving a lasting impression of public humiliation. Later, on 1821, it signals the end of her childhood (end of school, with an accompanying dependance on the sister for livelihood and status). Afterwards, it seems to be Shota that comes to the rescue. As he describes himself on 1819, one gets a vision of Genji—his prints, his orphanhood, his tears. But in the bext passage, it is Nobu, it seems, that gets the attention of Midori. Somewhat later, the swituation at home for Nobu is described—and on 1826 an assessment of what a coward he is. 2. The scene in the rain with the sandal strap that is broken and the shy stand-off between the two. 3. The scene where the elaborate hairstyle of Midori draws so much attention on the street. 1822. The usefulness of boys is evaluated. Top of 1823—Midori’s growing comfort with the district. But she is still short of realizing fully the implications. 1829. Shota describes his own adult self—mostly from his sartorial accoutrements.