Hatsumomo (Tori)
In the beginning of the book, Hatsumomo is a very successful and powerful geisha. Her power is shown at the very beginning. “One day after I’d been in the okiya about three weeks, I went upstairs much later than usual to straighten Hatsumomo’s room. I was terrified of Hatsumomo because I knew what she was capable of. She was a very powerful geisha.”(46). Later in the book, the reader can see that Hatsumomo’s power is getting weaker because of the way she lets herself feel. Hatsumomo begins to develop a hate for Sayuri. Her opportunities of success and her beauty, make Hatsumomo jealous. Jealousy causes Hatsumomo to lose sight of her priorities and she doesn’t succeed at what she is supposed to be accomplishing. Hatsumomo becomes more worried about Sayuri’s wherabouts and with time she becomes a little crazy. Towards the end of the book, Hatsumomo loses almost all power by getting kicked out of the okiya. “I do think that in a way she went crazy. It wasn’t just that her mind seemed to have fractured; the moment itself seemed disconnected from everything else.”(330). This shows how she became crazy which led up to her getting kicked out. “ A few days afterward, Hatsumomo left the okiya wearing a simple cotton robe Mother had given her, and with her hair as I’d never seen it, hanging in a mass around her shoulders. She carried a bag containing her belongings and jewelry, and didn’t say goodbye to any of us, but just walked out to the street. She didn’t leave voluntarily; Mother had thrown her out.”(331).
Chiyo (Kalen)
An individual character development was displayed when Mr. Bekku dressed Hatsusomo in a new kimono. Chiyo watched him tie the elegant, gold strings that glistened, and add the padding that gave her a beautiful figure. She admitted, "I felt miserable with envy, watching her... I didn't know it at the time, but the outfit she wore probably cost as much a policeman or a shopkeeper might make in an entire year, "(65). This quote was significant, because Chiyo was not the type to be envious when she lived in Yoroido. Before she lived in Kyoto a geisha would have seemed so foreign to her, but now that she is surrounded with beauty jealousy is kicking in. Over a course of time, Chiyo developed the urge to become a beautiful geisha, inside and out. She said,”I had changed from a lost girl facing a lifetime of emptiness to a girl with a purpose in her life...Now i understood the thing I had overlooked; the point wasn't to become a geisha but to be one."(114) She was tired of living a poor, peasant life. It was time for her to make something of herself and become as successful as she can. With that being said, Chiyo wanted to find herself and make purpose in her life.
In the beginning of the book, Hatsumomo is a very successful and powerful geisha. Her power is shown at the very beginning. “One day after I’d been in the okiya about three weeks, I went upstairs much later than usual to straighten Hatsumomo’s room. I was terrified of Hatsumomo because I knew what she was capable of. She was a very powerful geisha.”(46). Later in the book, the reader can see that Hatsumomo’s power is getting weaker because of the way she lets herself feel. Hatsumomo begins to develop a hate for Sayuri. Her opportunities of success and her beauty, make Hatsumomo jealous. Jealousy causes Hatsumomo to lose sight of her priorities and she doesn’t succeed at what she is supposed to be accomplishing. Hatsumomo becomes more worried about Sayuri’s wherabouts and with time she becomes a little crazy. Towards the end of the book, Hatsumomo loses almost all power by getting kicked out of the okiya. “I do think that in a way she went crazy. It wasn’t just that her mind seemed to have fractured; the moment itself seemed disconnected from everything else.”(330). This shows how she became crazy which led up to her getting kicked out. “ A few days afterward, Hatsumomo left the okiya wearing a simple cotton robe Mother had given her, and with her hair as I’d never seen it, hanging in a mass around her shoulders. She carried a bag containing her belongings and jewelry, and didn’t say goodbye to any of us, but just walked out to the street. She didn’t leave voluntarily; Mother had thrown her out.”(331).
Chiyo (Kalen)
An individual character development was displayed when Mr. Bekku dressed Hatsusomo in a new kimono. Chiyo watched him tie the elegant, gold strings that glistened, and add the padding that gave her a beautiful figure. She admitted, "I felt miserable with envy, watching her... I didn't know it at the time, but the outfit she wore probably cost as much a policeman or a shopkeeper might make in an entire year, "(65). This quote was significant, because Chiyo was not the type to be envious when she lived in Yoroido. Before she lived in Kyoto a geisha would have seemed so foreign to her, but now that she is surrounded with beauty jealousy is kicking in. Over a course of time, Chiyo developed the urge to become a beautiful geisha, inside and out. She said,”I had changed from a lost girl facing a lifetime of emptiness to a girl with a purpose in her life...Now i understood the thing I had overlooked; the point wasn't to become a geisha but to be one."(114) She was tired of living a poor, peasant life. It was time for her to make something of herself and become as successful as she can. With that being said, Chiyo wanted to find herself and make purpose in her life.