Use of Metaphor (Tori)
In Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden, uses a great amount of metaphors. In the beginning of the book he uses it by saying, "During the rest of the spring and all that summer following the letter, I felt like a child lost on a lake in the fog. The days spilled one after another into a muddle." (106). In this case, the author is using a metaphor to describe the way Sayuri is feeling. She relates her feelings to something dark and dreary so the reader can think of the image and try to understand Sayuri's thoughts. Another time the author uses a metaphor is when Sayuri describes the day of her debut. She says, "I don't know if this will make sense to you, but my mind on the eve of my debut was like a garden in which the flowers have only begun to poke their faces up through the soil, so that it is still impossible to tell how things will look." (161). Again, the author is using a metaphor to describe the way Sayuri is feeling. He compares her mind to a garden and leaves some explanation. The last time he uses a metaphor is towards the end of the book when he says, "I was in great pain because of the wasp, and certainly felt no kindness toward it. But it gave me a terrible sensation of weakness in my chest to know that this tiny struggling creature could do nothing to save itself from the death that was only moments away. I felt the same sort of pity toward Hatsumomo."(326). In this metaphor, the author is comparing Sayuri's feelings toward Hatsumomo to her feelings toward a wasp that stung her. Sayuri's resentment toward the wasp was great, but she felt bad knowing they were going to kill it. Same goes for her feelings toward Hatsumomo. She had pity for Hatsumomo, but Hatsumomo brought it upon herself.
Use of Symbolism (Tori)
In Arthur Golden's, Memoirs of a Geisha, there is a great amount of symbolism. The author refers to water a lot as a symbol throughout the book. The first time the author uses this water reference is when at the very beginning of the book when Chiyo is thinking about her Mother. "I knew something in her was changing quickly, but because of so much water in her personality in her system this didn't seem worrisome." In this case, water is symbolizing the strength Chiyo's Mother has. It is also representing fate. Another time the author uses this symbol is when Chiyo is looking back on her life as a geisha and how much her life has been changed because of Mr. Tanaka. At this point in the book she is feeling alone and miserable. "We live our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in the same direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course." (105-106). The symbol of water is very obvious in this quote. It is also developing the theme of fate vs free will because Chiyo is trying to say that in life, you can't always control what happens. I think the water symbol represents fate in a lot of the situations it is used for throughout the book.
Point of View (Kalen)
Arthur golden tells the story through the eyes of little Chiyo. This makes the reader feel like they are walking in her shoes and feeling every emotion, which can benefit the readers understanding when Chiyo relates to her past. Arthur switched from Chiyo’s past to present experiences allowing the reader to feel happiness, sadness and other feelings that she endured and how they affected her. For example, he wrote,“Suppose that you and I were sitting in a quiet room overlooking a garden, chatting and sipping at our cups of green tea while we talked about something that happened a long time ago…”(7) He used this to develop a connection between the reader and an experience that stuck in the mind of the character further in the book. A clear image can be developed, whereas if past and present tenses of Chiyo’s life were absent, that clarity would be diminished.
In Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden, uses a great amount of metaphors. In the beginning of the book he uses it by saying, "During the rest of the spring and all that summer following the letter, I felt like a child lost on a lake in the fog. The days spilled one after another into a muddle." (106). In this case, the author is using a metaphor to describe the way Sayuri is feeling. She relates her feelings to something dark and dreary so the reader can think of the image and try to understand Sayuri's thoughts. Another time the author uses a metaphor is when Sayuri describes the day of her debut. She says, "I don't know if this will make sense to you, but my mind on the eve of my debut was like a garden in which the flowers have only begun to poke their faces up through the soil, so that it is still impossible to tell how things will look." (161). Again, the author is using a metaphor to describe the way Sayuri is feeling. He compares her mind to a garden and leaves some explanation. The last time he uses a metaphor is towards the end of the book when he says, "I was in great pain because of the wasp, and certainly felt no kindness toward it. But it gave me a terrible sensation of weakness in my chest to know that this tiny struggling creature could do nothing to save itself from the death that was only moments away. I felt the same sort of pity toward Hatsumomo."(326). In this metaphor, the author is comparing Sayuri's feelings toward Hatsumomo to her feelings toward a wasp that stung her. Sayuri's resentment toward the wasp was great, but she felt bad knowing they were going to kill it. Same goes for her feelings toward Hatsumomo. She had pity for Hatsumomo, but Hatsumomo brought it upon herself.
Use of Symbolism (Tori)
In Arthur Golden's, Memoirs of a Geisha, there is a great amount of symbolism. The author refers to water a lot as a symbol throughout the book. The first time the author uses this water reference is when at the very beginning of the book when Chiyo is thinking about her Mother. "I knew something in her was changing quickly, but because of so much water in her personality in her system this didn't seem worrisome." In this case, water is symbolizing the strength Chiyo's Mother has. It is also representing fate. Another time the author uses this symbol is when Chiyo is looking back on her life as a geisha and how much her life has been changed because of Mr. Tanaka. At this point in the book she is feeling alone and miserable. "We live our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in the same direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course." (105-106). The symbol of water is very obvious in this quote. It is also developing the theme of fate vs free will because Chiyo is trying to say that in life, you can't always control what happens. I think the water symbol represents fate in a lot of the situations it is used for throughout the book.
Point of View (Kalen)
Arthur golden tells the story through the eyes of little Chiyo. This makes the reader feel like they are walking in her shoes and feeling every emotion, which can benefit the readers understanding when Chiyo relates to her past. Arthur switched from Chiyo’s past to present experiences allowing the reader to feel happiness, sadness and other feelings that she endured and how they affected her. For example, he wrote,“Suppose that you and I were sitting in a quiet room overlooking a garden, chatting and sipping at our cups of green tea while we talked about something that happened a long time ago…”(7) He used this to develop a connection between the reader and an experience that stuck in the mind of the character further in the book. A clear image can be developed, whereas if past and present tenses of Chiyo’s life were absent, that clarity would be diminished.