Manchu Girl Analysis

Much like the way American media portrayed the occupation of Japan as a moral right by claiming that they were “liberating Japanese women” and creating a better Japanese society, Japanese literature produced during the prewar era similarly attempted to improve the Japanese attitude towards the state; people were given a role in the creation of national identity, with a particular focus on Japanese imperialism. In the postwar era, the literature that reflects the psychological effect of American occupation is evidence of the deep penetration of those prewar ideologies. By analyzing the way Japanese empire was portrayed in literary pieces aimed at children and women, as well as stories that illustrate the psychological toll of American occupation, …show more content…
In the story, the author’s husband justifies “buying” another Manchu girl (Guiyu) to be their helper by saying “by taking care of this child and helping her understand the proper viewpoints of Japanese through our way of living, isn’t this working for goodwill between Japanese and Manchu…?” In this way, not only are the Manchu people assumed to be backwards and ignorant, but through the constant help of Koizumi and her seemingly “motherly” nurturing of Guiyu, it becomes evident that the notion of “imperialist motherhood” was used to incorporate women into the goals of the nation. The author’s “bringing up” of Guiyu parallels with Japan’s imperialist motives in the “young, newborn nation” of Manchuria. By portraying Japanese imperialism under this pretense, a role for women becomes established. Although normally disintegrated from society, especially along the lines of political representation, women are gradually seeing themselves as being part of the nation and having an important place in its efforts from these texts. Kimberly T. Kono, in her response to the “Manchu Girl” story, writes that “motherhood represented one of the main avenues for Japanese women to perform loyalty to the nation and achieve recognition as national subjects.” Undoubtedly, …show more content…
Kyoko constantly nags Toshio, saying things like “you ought to go to America too,” and often boasts about the American life as described by the Higgins’ family. The constant comparisons Toshio makes between the Japan and American appearance, culture, and habits demonstrates the sense of inferiority that people felt in post-imperialist Japan. Nevertheless, as the arrival of the Higgins’ was inevitable, so was the presence of Americans in Japan. Because Toshio’s resentment towards Americans came from his own experiences with the war, it became further enhanced through the penetration of American culture after the war in the form of American hijiki, chewing gum, MJB coffee and so on. Ultimately, literary pieces like “Child of Okinawa” and “American hijiki” with their extremely sexualized and anti-American atmosphere, were able to effectively express the psychological loss of