Early Summer is the story of a society in which women are expected to marry before the age of 29, often in arranged marriages negotiated by their family, especially fathers and brothers. Yet at the same time, Noriko rejects the candidate chosen for her by her boss and family and -- on the spur of the moment -- agrees to marry a family friend. What is this movie saying about patriarchal structure, marriage, and women's liberation in the modern Japan of the 1950's?
“Early Summer” is demonstrating the beginnings of change in Japanese culture in the 1950s through Noriko’s role in the family and her impulsive marriage choice. Throughout the film, we learn that Noriko is essentially the breadwinner of the family which is almost unheard of during that time. She also seemingly not doing any cooking or cleaning throughout the house. Besides dressing and behaving femininely, she takes on more of a male-dominated role in society which shows how women are allowed more opportunities within the Japanese workforce at the time. To add on, Noriko was the only woman in the family not yet married, which prompted her parents and brother to push her toward marriage, despite her feeble protests. Marriage was clearly considered very important as she was pushed to marry people that she didn’t know, and her friends and family approved of. She ended up impulsively choosing a family friend whom her parents and brother did not approve of for marriage. Even though Noriko’s family displayed a lot of protest against the arrangement, they did not stop her and allowed her to continue through the marriage. This demonstrated how the patriarchal structure has become more relaxed since her parents did not take complete control over her arrangement and allowed her to make the final choice. In the end, Noriko was allowed to make her own choices, no matter if the family began to grow apart. The fact that she was able to make her own choices in life exemplifies the turn of Japanese culture in terms of marriage, women’s liberation, and family structure. All of these traditions were once very strict and all determined by the parents but the film shows how relaxed these traditions have become over time.
ReplyDeleteYasujiro Ozu's "Early Summer", despite including elements of a patriarchal dynamic in marriage, posits that women should have more independence in marriage than they are given. The movie follows Noriko Mamiya, a young woman in post-war Japan. During the time, ideas about the role of women in society was changing. Following the seminal world war, people's lives were changed in every aspect- one being marriage. The norm before then was that women must be married to a man before they reach their thirties, and we can see this idea being pushed by many of Noriko's family members or acquaintances. For example, after telling Noriko that it's about time to get married, her old uncle says, "some women don't want to get married. You're not one of them, are you?" Not getting married is not only unacceptable, but it's simply implausible for someone of the older generation. After hearing this, Noriko simply laughs it off, but it is clear that prodding like this throughout the movie makes her uncomfortable. The generational divide displayed by interactions like this show the movie is suggesting that times are changing since the war. Later in the film, we see Noriko fight back against the patriarchal traditions of arranged marriage when she chooses who she wants to marry rather than going along with her family. Noriko's mother, shocked at this, asks "Are you sure? Are you positive you won't regret this later?" She responds, "Yes, I'm positive." Again, the breaking of norms in a society as tradition-focused as 1950s Japan was somewhat uncommon, but Noriko takes charge with what she wants to do with her life. Instead of going with the plan that her family has for her, Noriko chooses her own path and marries Kenkichi. Through this the movie is suggesting that the current system, where a woman's fate is decided for her, is flawed. Sentiments like this that fought against outdated systems became more and more prevalent after the war, and this way of progressive thinking could even be argued as one of the causes of the Civil Rights and sexual revolution movements of the 60s and 70s.
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ReplyDeleteDespite modern ideals of female liberation and equal social structure, the 1951 Japanese drama film, “Early Summer”, directed by Yasujirō Ozu deems the slow deterioration of the patriarchal familial structure as lamentable and melancholic. This is portrayed in the film by the reckless actions taken by Noriko, which result in the sadness for every member of her family, including herself. The reason Noriko’s impulsive decision to marry Yabe is so saddening for the characters is because of the strength of family bonds in Japan. Throughout the film, the audience views scenes in Noriko’s home, where she and her extended family eat, speak, and spend quality time together. Fun and seemingly small moments, such as the scene where the little boy tells his grandfather he hates him, do not advance the plot of the story, but they condition the audience to get a grasp on what the family’s life is like and the strength of their bonds. These bonds characterize Noriko’s parents as caring and concerned rather than strict and demanding, as their priority is to find Noriko a good match for a husband and for her to stay in Tokyo. Noriko’s decision to marry and move away is a betrayal of their strong family ties, resulting in disappointment and sadness. Nearing the end of the film, Noriko and her family take a large family photo that represents a memory of the family they had before Noriko inevitably movie away. “Early Summer” presents a point through this photograph, for if Noriko had obeyed her father and her boss, the entire family would have been happier. Noriko’s rash actions and rebellion against patriarchy hurts her family and herself, as she breaks down crying at the end of the film. This destruction of a home that upheld traditional values towards family condemns Noriko’s brashness and glorifies Japan’s old patriarchy.
ReplyDeleteThe movie ‘Early Summer’ is an indictment on pre-war social norms and proves how they are out-dated and were due for change. The societal norms mandate that women should marry at a young age, often in arranged marriages, and prioritize their duty to the family and society over their individual wishes and desires. Noriko's rejection of her boss' suggestion and her subsequent decision to marry a family friend, whom she genuinely loves, shows her personal agency and her resistance to conforming to dominant patriarchal norms. This highlights the tension between tradition and modernity in Japan's post-war society. After WWII, it was a humbling time for Japan, and a time for new beginnings. The country and its people needed a new path. Noriko's decision to marry for love instead of obligation is a sign of a changing attitude towards marriage and women's roles. The movie suggests that women's liberation and autonomy may require them to challenge patriarchal structures and expectations, even if it means going against traditional norms and risking family disapproval. In the end, Early Summer offers a critical portrayal of the oppressive patriarchal system that women have to navigate and offers a glimpse into a changing society that is grappling with the tensions between tradition and modernity.
ReplyDeleteEarly Summer by Yasujiro Ozu displays the patriarchal society of post-war Japan by showing the struggles of Noriko, a 29-year-old woman, as she chooses to marry for love rather than who her family has decided for her to marry. Throughout the film, we see Noriko take on an untraditional role for a female as she works to make money to provide for the family and doesn’t cook or clean as is typical in this male-dominated society. At the beginning of the film, a family member points out that Noriko is passing the age at which she should marry and gets her family thinking about it. Noriko’s boss suggests a middle-aged businessman for her to marry and her family supports it, but throughout the film, we see her choose to marry for love and choose a family friend over the businessman. This however leads to the break up of the family, as they had lived together for many years but all have to part ways. Noriko’s struggle for marriage and her job displays the outdated Japanese post-war culture and how women of this time did not have to follow the typical gender roles of previous generations. Although Noriko’s choice led to the break up of the family, it allowed her to be truly happy and marry for love rather than who her family had believed she should. Throughout this film, Noriko broke the typical gender roles and showed how the world was no longer a patriarchal society and how Japanese culture was outdated in this post-war world.
ReplyDeleteThe film Early Summer demonstrates the progress in women’s liberation in the modern Japan of the 1950’s. Noriko is 29 and unmarried. Almost every conversation she has in the film with peers and family is about marriage. Her family is always worried about getting her a suitor while Noriko is just continuing on with her routine. While this traditional look on marriage is found with the men in the film, the women are starting to have more liberating views. Noriko herself is a bit of a rebel in the film for not marrying. But, she has friends with both perspectives. She is split with some of her friends being happily married and others enjoying a fulfilling life without a man. As both groups tease each other, Noriko is torn in the middle. Noriko is a working woman which is becoming less uncommon for this time. But, Noriko's brother who is a doctor seems to be one of the heads of the family along with her father. Both these men try their hardest to get Noriko married which demonstrates the patriarchal structure of the time. They are the head of the household constantly trying to make Noriko do something she does particularly want. Eventually, after declining different marriage offers, Noriko agrees to marry a childhood friend. Noriko does this in honor of her brother who is away at war and for herself. Yet, it still seems like this marriage is a deal between families rather than a love match. It is also interesting to note that her family members always wanted her to marry but once she got to that point they were all sad and uncertain about it. Overall, the film shows the struggles of a woman struggling between feminism and family acceptance.
ReplyDeleteEarly Summer by Yasujiro Ozu criticizes pre-war patriarchal society in Japan through the life of Noriko, a 29-year-old woman, and her struggles relating to marriage. Her family is frantically trying to arrange a marriage for her, as it is expected that a woman is married before age 29. She rejects the rich old man that her family and peers suggest for her and instead marries a family friend seemingly impulsively. She wants to marry him for love, not because of an outdated tradition that is slowly disappearing. Strong family bonds are also prominent during this time period, which is demonstrated by a large variety of scenes containing the family spending time with each other. The family seems put-together and happy, although there is a strong divide between Noriko’s generation and her parent’s generation. Her parents and grandparents see not getting married as unacceptable. Her older uncle implies exactly this by saying “some women don’t want to get married. You’re not one of them, are you?”. Noriko’s decision to get married (like everyone wants her to) leads to the breaking up of the family, and everyone is sad (including Noriko). The real problem is, did she marry out of love or out of a feeling that she needed to compromise? She is the one who chooses the person she marries – which shows how tradition is fading - but it still feels like she did it because she wanted her family to accept her and stop pestering her to get married. She is seen crying near the end of the movie, which shows that she isn’t happy with the direction that her life is going in. This entire movie criticizes the concept of a patriarchal society that is slowly disappearing through the social challenges that Noriko faces in her life.
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