Essay about Gender and Race During the U.S. Occupation of...

The Fifteen-Year War was a time of great turmoil and uncertainty in Japan. Various facets of the country were tested and driven to their limits. During the occupation, race and gender began to evolve in ways that had not exactly be seen before. War had a tremendous impact on every part of the life of a Japanese citizen. Both men and women began to fill roles that were completely novel to them. Race became a part of the definition of who people were. As the war progressed and American troops landed on Japanese soil for occupation, more drastic changes occurred. Economic hardship and rations befell the people of the Land of the Rising Sun. Prostitution began to rear its ugly head and rape transpired. Through memory, research, and vivid†¦show more content†¦A prime example of this is Seita and Setsuko’s female cousin. There are several mentions during a portion of the film about her status as a worker. Her mother, Seita and Setsuko’s aunt, believes it to be patrio tic and work toward the country and war effort. There is nobility in working for the war, in it as a man of the military or on home soil as a woman. The aunt makes her opinion about this abundantly clear; her critique is hard to ignore. Her grueling dogging of the main protagonists also is a critique of gender roles. What she says is most often just as important as how she says it. Her tone is often militant even in nature, again emphasizing the importance of the war. She is a motivator and a drill sergeant. Japanese soil is as much a war zone as the places of actual war. Her role in the household is scattered with masculine traits. Setsuko’s and Seita’s hiatus of habitation under their aunt’s roof enabled a sense of independence happiness not seen before for Seita and Setusko. For example, she has Seita sell his mother’s kimono for rice. Control of finances is a facet of the male gender role. Yet she convinced Seita to sell the clothing with ease. In thi s is evidence that a woman with a set of masculine role traits is worth more or possesses greater power than a feminized male. In the end however, this double standard still exhibits a sense of inferiority for the female gender because a woman must change from whatShow MoreRelatedWomen s Rights And Feminist Movements995 Words   |  4 Pagesprovided an equally important platform for social revolution. During this era countless social movements emerged, notably so the women’s rights and feminist movements. Tremendous gains were made for women throughout the century’s span, from suffrage, to equal pay, and the availability of contraceptives. One of the most complex feminist movements of the 20th century followed the period’s most tumultuous event: World War II. 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