IRP Blog Post 2

People

The Chairman: When Chiyo was in misery one day, she meets a man that soothes her pain. He is surrounded by geishas and this is the reason that motivates Chiyo to become a geisha. She really likes him and she wants to meet him again. Later when she does become a geisha, she encounters again.

Hatsumomo: Chiyo's worst enemy from the okiya. They both hate each other because Hatsumomo is afraid that later in her life, Chiyo will be taking her place in the geisha world. Hatsumomo has a face that every geisha envies, but her personality is something that no one will ever imagine. She spreads rumors about Chiyo so that Chiyo will be unsuccessful. This only worked until a certain point.

Mameha: Mameha is the "older-sister" of Chiyo and is a nice person. She is also a rival of Hatsumomo but she doesn't do much since she knows that nothing good will come out of her. Mameha shapes up Chiyo to be the best geisha around the town. Mameha is technically the best geisha in Gion.

Symbols

Kimono: Kimono is definately a huge symbol in this book because it deals directly with a geisha and also describes the pain in wearing them as well. "Her kimono was yello, with willowy branches bearing lovely green and orange leaves..." Kimono is like the first impression for geishas and for many people during this time period. Also, kimono is the symbol of wealth.

Train: The train symbolizes the deepest sorrow for Chiyo. When she was travelling on the train one time, she couldn't bear the thought of remembering the day when she first came to the okiya with her sister. Train almost always reminded her of her family and the pain when she had to be separated from her sister.

Connections and Questions

When I read the part when Chiyo was finally able to become a geisha, I could really connect to how happy she was feeling because that's how I felt when I first found out that I was accepted to the college that I really wanted. Although this doesn't guarantee that I will become a doctor, but this path gave me a high possibility that later I can become one. I think that's how Chiyo felt. Since she knew that this opportunity was rare, she will try her best to become a successful geisha. One question that I had, reading this novel was how could the apprentice geisha be so young and able to become a geisha. They seem to encounter in the social world very fast and I wonder is this is okay.