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Gender Roles In Akutagawa's Literature

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Gender Roles In Akutagawa's Literature
Although Akutagawa’s literature depicts women as vulnerable, and to serve their husbands, on the other hand, men are depicted as being authoritative, and violent. The Heian time period has subjected Tajomaru and Takehiko to the societies roles on gender given to men. A male character displaying the gender norm of being brutal, and egocentric is when Tajomaru rapes Masago, which was an act of brutality, and was for his own personal desires. Tajomaru states, “At least I could satisfy my desire for her without taking her husband’s life” (Akutagawa 3). Here Tajomaru is saying that he has satisfied his sexual desires for Masago without having to kill her husband, as he says he had no wish to terminate Takehiko’s life at this point. The irony hidden

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