Higuchi Ichiyo 樋口一葉 "Separate Ways" わかれ道

Warm-up questions:

1. Have you ever faced economic hardships?

2. What kind of issues do women in Japanese society face today?

3. Talk about racial, economic, and other forms of discrimination in Japanese society.

Reading Analysis Questions:

1. Discuss the notion of 出世 in the story. Does it have positive or negative connotations? How does it affect Kichizo and Okyo's actions and fate?

2. Discuss the roles of class, poverty, and gender in the story. How do these things influence the characters' actions and their relationship with each other?

3. Talk about the story and its themes, especially relating to the subject of poverty, in the historical context of the Meiji Era. (e.g. use of the word 非人). How do Meiji ideals conflict with reality for the characters?

4. Why do Kichizo and Okyo feel differently at the end? Who do you agree and/or identify with more? Who do you think is right in this case? Are the characters acting selfishly as Kichizo says of Okyo, or are they motivated by other concerns?

5. What would you have done if you were in Okyo's position? Does she actually have a choice in the matter? (Note that she says she doesn't, whereas Kichizo says that she does).