Seventeen Syllables Summary

In the story “Seventeen Syllables” the role of women is one that is repressed, and I believe it is that way due to the traditional patriarchal beliefs and culture. Although this has not always been their way of thinking, it is the one that has dominated for hundreds of years and changed very little in more recent times. It was even the common way of thinking in 1950, the year “Seventeen Syllables” was written.

Japanese culture has changed a lot in its thousands of years of history, and so has its society’s view of women. In third century Japan, women were believed to be capable of bringing peace and regulation to their country and thus encouraged to rule their country. This was a direct reflection of the Shinto religion that was prominent throughout Japan (Silva-Grondin). Shintoism believed women were the embodiment of intelligence, beauty, fertility, and purity. These beliefs remained dominant until the middle of the sixth century with the introduction of Buddhism. Buddhism had very chauvinistic, anti-feminism beliefs, and this was the beginning of female repression (Silva-Grondin). During the Heian period in Japan (794 AD -1185 AD), women faced severe
isolation and restrictions that even prevented them from being seen by men, or even other women. The women were often self-educated and would write to pass the time. The writings were usually about an imaginary world outside of the walls that restrained them.

As the years went on, the specific role of the women in Japan really began to develop.
Throughout the Tokugawa era (1603 AD- 1868 AD), the women were thought to only be suitable for marriage and her only purpose should be learning to please her husband (Silva-Grondin). They were taught to be submissive to their husbands and were given no legal rights. These beliefs defined their society until around 1945 (Kincaid). Even still, women were expected to be loyal to their husband and family. During this time, women had more responsibilities including controlling the household budget and decisions, which took some burden off the men so they could serve their lord. It was also considered their duty for women to have children (Kincaid). To this day some Japanese women continue to be repressed due to traditional
beliefs.

In the story “Seventeen Syllables”, both Mrs. Hayashi and Mrs. Hayano faced repression because of Japanese traditions. Mrs. Hayano is very quiet and tries to stay out of the way as much as possible. And despite have many health issues, she has four children because that’s what her husband wanted (Yamamoto, 10). Mrs. Hayashi, on the other hand, was a bit more outspoken. She was a haiku writer that found local success, which was not received well by her husband because of his traditional thinking. Mr. Hayashi expected his wife to solely care for the family and the family business and remain quiet and submissive, similar to Mrs. Hayano. During a visit to the Hayano household, Mrs. Hayashi and Mr. Hayano spent the entire time talking about and comparing Haikus. Mr. Hayashi was not happy with his wife’s actions and abruptly decided it was time for them to leave (Yamamoto, 11). Also, when the local newspaper in which she wrote for recognized her, Mr. Hayashi destroyed the gift she was given for her great accomplishment (Yamamoto, 18). Mrs. Hayashi was happily embracing western ideas about women, but Mr. Hayashi did not approve of her actions due to the fact that they went against his traditional Japanese beliefs.

As you can see, the repressive and male oriented nature of Japanese culture shaped the roles of the female characters in the story “Seventeen Syllables”. A long history of isolation and restriction formed the cultural ideas about Japanese women that were evident in the writing.