Suyuris Success as a Gion Geisha
Honors Freshman English
Period 3
Haley Hasenstein
Literary Analysis Paper
November 28, 2009
The geisha culture is often associated with prostitution, although that could not be farther from the truth. The term geisha actually means “one trained in the arts” which is exactly what geisha are. Geisha go to school from a very young age to practice dancing, playing musical instruments, singing, and many more which are skills they will later use to entertain men. In Arthur Goldens’ book Memoirs of a Geisha , a young impoverish girl, Sayuri, is taken from her home and rises to become one of Gions most prominent geisha. Sayuris success was created through Sayuris natural beauty, a few very kind men, and women who made her yearn to be successful.
Sayuri was first noticed by many people by her stunning physical features, but people remembered her by her amazing personality. The first thing most people noticed about Sayuri was her eyes. Instead of being a dark brown like most Japanese people hers were a pale gray. The first time Sayuri met Mr. Tanaka, the man who would later sell her as a geisha, he said to her, “ But what I really want to know is how you came to have such extraordinary eyes” (16). Sayuri was a very attractive girl anyway, but her eyes set her apart from all of the other girls. Sayuri had more then just beautiful features, she had a kind personality also. As Granny says, “ There are too many pretty girls in Gion. What we need is a smart girl. That Hatsumomo is as pretty as they come, and look what a fool she is !”(43) There is no doubt that Sayuris wisdom and kindness is what set her apart from other geisha, and what ultimately helped her rise up and overcome Hatsumomo.