Mitsuko In Shusaku Endo's Deep River

Mitsuko, a woman tormented by her past, in Shusaku Endo’s “Deep River,” travels to India to find the meaning of life. Her friends called her Moira, a seductress who preyed on innocent men. She found enjoyment in tormenting men by seducing them and then leaving. One man in particular, Otsu, was different than the rest of the men she sought after. He was a Catholic. After leaving him brokenhearted, she moved on with her life and eventually got married. After her marriage failed, she struggled to find the meaning in her life, and decided to travel to India. She found Otsu working as a Catholic priest close to where she was staying and wanted to make amends. To the reader, Mitsuko seems like a cold-blooded heartbreaker, but upon further analysis, it is clear that she is struggling to forgive herself for the terrible actions of her past. From her college days as a seductress, to having a failed marriage, to finding her place in the world on the banks of the Ganges, Mitsuko evolves into a completely new person by the end of the story. In college, Mitsuko was a French literature major who not only enjoyed studying characters, but actually preferred to play them. Her friends called her Moira, a seductress that will go to great lengths to get what she wanted from men. When she met the aspiring Catholic priest, Otsu, she could not resist the perverse urge to torment him with her seductive nature. She invited him to a party; however, her intention
This is evidenced by the her regrets for seducing Otsu, her failing in her marriage because her husband is the opposite of Otsu, and her epiphany in the Ganges when she discovers the meaning of life that she so desperately longed for. Readers are challenged to consider what they believe gives meaning to their life, and whether or not it has anything to do with religion or a higher