Early Summer is the story of a society in which women are expected to marry before the age of 29, often in arranged marriages negotiated by their family, especially fathers and brothers. Yet at the same time, Noriko rejects the candidate chosen for her by her boss and family and -- on the spur of the moment -- agrees to marry a family friend. What is this movie saying about patriarchal structure, marriage, and women's liberation in the modern Japan of the 1950's?
Chloe Katz
ReplyDeleteIn the film Early Summer, Noriko is a strong and complex female lead, and while connected to her family in the traditional sense, she is independent in her decisions and actions. When Noriko is pushed to marry, it is hard for her at the beginning to differentiate between what she wants and what her family wants. In a typical patriarchal society, she would have settled with that candidate and ended up living close to home. However, she ends up with someone who her family initially is hesitant about, and leaves her family wondering what prompted her decision to marry him. By doing this, she shows that she is not tied down by the patriarchal ideas of family structure and marriage, it leads to a newfound normalization of women making more decisions for themselves when it comes to things like marriage. Since they are living in an American-occipied Japan, the country is shifting away from traditional, patriarchal norms and instead the formation of a women’s liberation movement is occuring. Noriko leads the charge in her push to make decisions independently, however this does not mean that she wants to be away from her family. Her connection to her family is strong, shown through her relationship with her nephews. The women’s liberation in Japan is also seen through Noriko’s friend Aya. She is decisive about not wanting to get married, even though it is the typical move more someone her age in Japanese society. She does not want or need a husband through her life, and is confident and vocal about her choices. Overall, through the eyes of the female leads in Early Summer, the increase of feminism and women’s liberation is seen as their stories play out.
Early Summer reveals the decrease in male dominance alongside the increase of female independence in 1950’s Japan. In the film, male figures, such as Noriko’s father and her boss Satake, originally had a large influence on who Noriko would marry. The family oriented plot is representative of Japan’s prominent patriarchal structure. In the scene where Noriko’s brother, Koichi, is told by his wife, Fumiko, that Noriko has been set up with Mr. Manabe, Koichi requests people to ask around in order to get information on Noriko’s potential spouse. Her brother’s actions are representative of the role many male family members would play in the process of an arranged marriage. When Noriko’s uncle first arrives in Tokyo, he asks about her age. After realizing she’s already twenty eight, he implies that it is time for her to marry through his negative reference of the unmarried. His reaction, “You’re not one of them, are you?,” exemplifies the importance of marriage in Japanese culture; it is seen as a standard and necessity. Ozu furthers the notion that marriage is important by setting it as the divide within Noriko’s friend group. When they gather together for lunch, they continue to bicker on the pros and cons of marriage. Although it initially seems like a harmless feud between friends, a scene later in the film shows Noriko and Aya being concerned about the possibility of their friendship being ruined because of that disagreement. The relationship between Noriko and Aya also demonstrates female independence. While being constantly bombarded with questions in respect to marriage, the two of them are able to hold true to what makes them happy.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene where Noriko, Aya, and Satake go out to eat, Satake says, “Women have become so forward, taking advantage of etiquette.” He then goes on to claim that because of Noriko’s “forward” actions, she is unable to marry. His words demonstrate that men preferred women as more submissive before the war; he does not view it as appropriate for females to challenge the long accepted patriarchal structure that a majority of Japanese households practiced. Noriko challenges the traditional male dominance by refusing to follow her family’s desire for her to marry Mr. Manabe. She exemplifies the independent female of the 1950’s modern Japan when she accepts Ms. Yabe’s unintended marriage proposal to her son, Kenkichi. She does so without confiding in her family first, an extremely unconventional action at the time. While her family is disappointed in her decision, they eventually support Noriko’s choice. Ozu uses Noriko’s independence to present the beginning of women’s liberation in modern Japan as one that challenges traditional standards.
Early Summer portrays Noriko as an independent character who challenges the Japanese patriarchal structure through her journey of entering marriage. The film’s character portrayals exhibit an increase in female liberation and the decrease in male authority.
"Early Summer" by Ozu shows the deconstruction of Japan's patriarchal structure by women's liberation through Noriko's actions in the movie. Noriko is not married yet, while girls her age usually have and even started a family of their own. A significant dissent from the patriarchal structure was when Noriko was supposed to marry a man her boss and family chose for her, but goes against them and agrees to marry a family friend. Noriko made this decision with little hesitation, which upset her family because they wanted her to consider all her options and chose the best one. However, Noriko realized she is a person and can make decisions on her own and can face the consequences that come her way if any do. This one instant is small but helps women become more liberated and independent because Noriko made this decision, almost entirely by herself, with no help from any men pointing her in a specific direction. Noriko's choice initially upset her family, but they knew they had to deal with it because Noriko seemed happy with the man she chose. This realization helps women's liberation because family, more the men in the family, are starting to see women as people who can make decisions independently. The reason for its importance of marriage in Japan is that parents of families want their children to marry people who make their child happy and help their family in some way, such as wealth. However, Noriko decides her happiness is more important than her significant other's financial status and chose someone who makes her happy. Finally, the change of marriage and the deconstruction of the patriarchal structure led to women's liberation in Japan, as demonstrated through Noriko's story in the film.
ReplyDeleteI think that Early Summer depicts the changing society and women’s roles in their families and communities of Japan in the 1950s, while still representing the restrictive societal values and expectations that hadn’t changed for women. At the beginning of the movie, we are presented with our main character who seems to reject the expectations of society by refusing to marry. While her attitude towards marriage seems to frustrate her family, that doesn’t seem to bother her. One of the first scenes that we understand how she feels about marriage is when she is sitting with her brother and his wife at the table and she gets asked about marriage and she laughs it off. The unusual way that she and her sister-in-law talk to her brother in a teasing and not completely respectful way shows that women’s role is equal to man’s in society. Throughout the movie, the ideals and expectations become more and more traditional as Noriko starts to accept the idea of marriage. Despite this, the way that Noriko accepts a proposal without the guidance or approval of her father first, shows her independent and modern attitude towards life, taking control of her own marriage and arrangement. One other aspect of the film that represented how much power women hold in the household is how the men ask the women to talk to Noriko to convince her to marry the man that her boss set her up with, showing how much power the women have in this circumstance versus the men. I think this movie is a good time capsule of a transitional period of women’s rights, depicting both the power and subservience of women in different parts of family life.
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ReplyDeleteIn the film Early Summer, traditional patriarchal structures in 1950’s Japan are being torn down little by little through independent women like Noriko. Noriko is an open minded, individualistic, and tortuous female protagonist in the film. She is near the “age of marriage,” 28, and cannot go one day without hearing from a family member, family friend, or outside influence about getting married. It is typical for women her age to get married at this time, or earlier, yet Noriko does not not think typically. She is free spirited and makes all of her decisions solely based on how she feels - she will not be persuaded easily by others. An example of this is when her and her friend’s go out to lunch and start to argue about marriage - and what it means to them. The group is split between the two married women and the two single women, Aya and Noriko. At first they are all just talking about the concept of marriage yet when it got personal for each girl about their married life things got heated. The two married women even moved to a different table. This argument and possible end to their friendship shows how important marriage is in society and how foriegn it was to Noriko’s friends that she did not have a marriage plan. The independent mindset reassurance between Aya and Noriko is powerful which scares their other two friends - confidence and power is not something they are used to seeing in their friends - or women in general. Additionally, Noriko demonstrates the breaking of the patriarchal structure when she finally decides to get married - to a family friend. For months, Noriko’s family, specifically her father, brother, and uncle, have worked tirelessly to create an astute match for her. She refused to marry Mr. Manabe and greatly demonstrates female independence when when accepts Ms. Yabe’s marriage proposal to her son and Noriko’s family friend, Kenkichi. She accepts without consulting her family first. Atypically, a rogue and brave move for a woman at the time. Fortunately, her family ends up supporting her decision and gives her the same love they had for her in the beginning of the film. Doing this, Noriko shows how is not determined by her family’s patriarchal ideas and structure for marriage.
However, this action does not mean or show that Noriko does not like or respect her family - despite what they may have thought. She is so sweet and gentle with her two nephews and always helps out around the house for others who need some assistance. She holds them in high regard, but not high enough to change her entire life course for their happiness. The values of respecting Noriko’s family and their morals yet being headstrong on her own show the possibility that women can make their own mature choices while still respecting their family. It is an inspiration to all women in the 50’s and modern day to not let anyone hold you down - even if it is those you love the most.
Ozu’s Early Summer suggests that women are starting to follow their own wants and preferences when making big decisions in their life, drifting away from the old status quo of relying on their family and male presences in their lives. Not only are women starting to make their own decisions, they are doing it without the help of others, especially men. Throughout the film, many people discuss, debate, and make decisions about Noriko and her marriage status, such as her parents, brother and sister-in-law, boss, co-workers, and friends. Often, Noriko isn’t in the room for these discussions, despite the fact that they are about her and will determine her fate for the rest of her life. This aspect of Noriko’s life is clearly an important one to not just her, but the whole community. This community’s discussion about one women’s life shows how marriage is a central part of Japanese life, especially Japanese womens’ life. Despite the decision practically is made for Noriko unbeknownst to her, it has no effect on Noriko. Unlike the others, Noriko isn’t always thinking about marriage. Noriko strays away from this construct of always and only thinking about and planning for marriage. It seems that she has prioritized almost every other fact in her life over marriage. She performs well at her job, puts effort into all her relationships, and is a caretaker to her nephews. Noriko never hunted for marriage, nor did she rely on others. She simply waited for the right time, which came when she realizes that her old childhood friend was leaving for the countryside. Only Noriko dictates what she does with her life, whether it be a working woman in the heart of Tokyo or a house wife in the countryside. The most important aspect of this unprecedented process of decision making is that Noriko doesn’t have any of the doubts that her family has, neither does her family’s opinions affect the status of her decision. Despite showing sadness of having to leave her family near the end of the film, Noriko holds full confidence in her choice. Noriko’s actions show that a woman doesn’t need men or their family to make decisions that they themselves are fully capable of making.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the beginning of the film, Early Summer by Ozu, the patriarchal structure and expectations of women and men are clear. Men run the family such as providing money and food, and women run the household as well as caring for the children. The main character, Noriko, is an oddball when it comes to her role in her family. She is not married and does not plan on getting married soon. This not only puts her in a precarious position but it also diminishes the way her family and friends perceive her. Many expectations for women are set as a standard at the start of the movie, and as the story progresses Noriko breaks down those barriers and sets a new norm for women in the 50s. Instead of marrying the man her brother and parents arranged for her to wed, she came up with her own arrangement with the mother of her brother’s friend, Kenkichi. When her parents and brother find this out, they are ashamed and nervous about what people will think, since this is unheard of. Not only does this show the strong patriarchal structure in Japan during this time, but also Noriko’s bravery and willingness to break gender norms. Moreover, Noriko’s decision to marry Kenkichi represents how the new age of women does not pay as much attention to what their families want but what they want for themselves. Until the 50s, almost across the whole world, women made few decisions for their own lives and this movie helped progress this new era.
ReplyDeleteIn Early Summer, marriage plays a huge role in showing Japanese culture in the mid 1900’s. When Noriko goes to a meal with her friends, they tease her for being as old as she is without being married. This scene shows how many Japanese females in the 1950’s getting married to someone recommended by the men in the family is a part of life. This shows that they have little connection with other cultures where women have more of a choice in terms of their love life. We learn more about the reasoning behind the patriarchal structure during the train scene. Based on the lack of power women have in their love life, this could play a factor in why the boys treat her with disrespect. There are probably areas outside of marriage where men in 1950’s Japan have much more of a say than women. For a child to grow up in an environment where the majority of the things in your life were choices from men is probably a factor in why the boys treat Noriko in the train scenes. Basically, due to the lack in power Noriko has when disputing with adult men, the children don’t view her as powerful. The connection between these two scenes is that both show how importance of the raising of Japanese children in the 1950’s played a part in forming their patriarchal structure. Both scenes show how growing up in a world with the majority of power being held by males has led to many women being content with marriage arrangement because many of them think of it as a part of life. The second scene shows how the childhood environment has led to a lack of respect towards females.
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