Literary Reflections - Out

This essay is a reflection of Out, a work of fiction written by Natsuo Kirino in 1997. I analyze the book's underlying theme: unseen hardships, domestic violence, and societal expectations of women in Japanese society.

Throughout her novel Out, Natsuo Kirino uses her four main characters to illustrate the hardships and roles of women in Japanese society, creating an underlying feminist narrative. Although the ideology of feminism is broad, the book has signs of its use throughout the novel and it manifests itself through the characters. All four women struggle and combat with very different but no less important aspect of what it means to be a woman in Japan. Each of the four women will be juxtaposed with their distinct issues and their roles in context to society and feminism. Dealing with the main plot point of the book, it's prudent to begin analyzing Yayoi's role in regards to the role she played shedding light on domestic violence, an issue many women in Japan and abroad face on a daily basis.

It's important to note that the murder of Kenji, and the subsequent gruesome deeds of the main characters, all trace its roots to Yayoi and her struggle with domestic violence. A common tenet in the vast umbrella that feminism casts, is the encouragement for women to take control of their lives in meaningful ways. Sometimes that means acknowledging that you need to get out of volatile relationships. Kirino puts Yayoi and her abusive marriage at center stage of the novel. "Her husband had punched her there last night, and with the blow a new feeling had arisen inside of her. As soon as she realized it was 'hatred,' it had spread like a dark cloud and taken possession of her, so now there was nothing else inside" (Kirino, 44). It's always been taboo for women to speak out against abusive partners. There's a certain stigma and embarrassment that the woman associates with coming forward with the truth. Kirino entices us to ponder the absolute destruction and willingness to commit murder a woman can face when pushed to the edge. Even after Yayoi murdered Kenji, she still couldn't find it in herself to forgive him. "She repeated the formula to herself again and again: I still don't forgive you. I killed you, but I don't forgive you. It's your fault for being unfaithful" (Kirino, 346). The psychological damage that many women face is very tangible, especially when it involves their self image.

There has always been a standard of beauty, imposed on women by society across time. An ideal beauty perfection put on a pedestal but grossly unattainable. One tennet of Feminism responds to this idea of loving yourself and all your imperfections, because they make you unique. It prefers a society that leverages what is beautiful and what it ugly.

Unfortunately, in Kirinio's depiction of Japanese society, and many western societies as well, a woman's value is inextricably linked to her looks. "A woman who wasn't attractive could not expect to get a high paying job." (Kirino, 15). Kuniko is the embodiment of what all women go through: a self-conscious roller coaster of doubt and insecurity about her looks and her age.

Youth will always be seen as exuberant and beautiful, age associated with wisdom and ugliness. "If she would only use a little makeup and wear something expensive, she'd look five years younger and quite attractive." (Kirino, 14). Transitioning to old age is difficult and marred with realizations of doubt of where to go next. Kirino uses Yoshie to tell that story, of an older woman with not much to live for, with terrible struggles of her own.

There comes a point of anxiety in women's lives where old age gnaws away at their purpose in life, at their prospects and self worth. Kirino deftly fleshes out Yoshie as someone who is finding out that she is irrelevant in terms of her place in Japanese society. "The [factory job] role kept her going! Helped her survive the dreary work; it was her one source of pride...that was her reason for living." (Kirino, 23). Notice her children didn't even make that list of importance or meaning.

These conditions are created by a society that discards women once they outlived their beauty's expiration date. Women also don't get enough credit when they are supporting children and a household by themselves. Societal taboos and vicious feedback loops from women's own children strengthen the bitterness of going alone.

That struggle is engrained in the children who sometimes grow up resenting their mother for the life they provided. "Yoshie knew, however, that as she grew older Miki was naturally comparing her situation with that of her friends, and she must feel embarrassed...in truth, she herself was ashamed of the way they lived" (Kirino, 25). Kirino fused Yoshie's hardships with countless other women in the same situation, bridging the gap and acknowledging hallmark feminist struggles.

The novel Out wouldn't even exist if Masako hadn't stepped up to help Yayoi in her hour of need. Masako's time at the financial firm emboldened her to stick up for women in need when no one else would. A huge part of that instinct to help came from her being incredibly undervalued at work. Being just as competent and qualified as her male counterparts but not achieving that recognition fundamentally altered the type of woman she becomes in the novel.

Kirino uses Masako's experience to open up dialogue about inequality in the work place. It's tragic to feel the pain Masako, and indicative of the type of work culture women face in Japanese society. "Why did the simple fact of being a man make him so important? Didn't her experience and her ambition count for anything in a place like this?...the incident had left a deep scar on her." (Kirino, 157). It's easy to understand the devastating effects wrought from gender inequality. Kirino does a fantastic job of dissecting hardships women face in the greater context of Japanese culture.

Although the novel centers around how a murder transformed four friend's lives, the real underlying theme in Kirino's novel Out stems around the tribulations and hardships faced and experienced by women everywhere. Out is incredibly dense with feminist tokens that resemble the plight of other Western counterparts: women feeling undervalued at work, the humiliation of domestic violence, incompatible body image, and the slow irrelevance one experiences as they age out of the beauty standard.

Out can be enjoyed as a thrilling mystery/horror in many regards, but where it truly shines is its ability to allow the readers a peek behind women's unseen anguish that lurks and seethes beneath contemporary Japanese society.

Works Cited: Kirino, Natsuo. Out. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 2003. Print.