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"The Smile of a Mountain Witch" by Oba Minako - Coggle Diagram
"The Smile of a Mountain Witch" by Oba Minako
classic mountain-witch tales
cunning
and
deceptive
ways of
luring and baiting men before devouring them (Luis)
creates an
uncomfortable feeling of being laid bare
, of being perceived without one’s consent (Wilford)
no semblance
of
escape
or
hope
(Catherine)
horrifying physical characteristics
that reflect prejudices against old people (Arvin)
capitalize on people's
fear of the unknown
, as well as their tendency to
ostracize
people different from them (Marcus)
uses her ability to
threaten
or
manipulate
a person (Julienne)
relentless pursuit of their victims
(Kate)
terrifying creatures with unnatural ability to read minds combined with their
destructive nature
,
bitterness
, and
spite
(Angela)
untamed
and is away from
social conventions of grooming
(Latrell)
deviations in the story
telepathic abilities to
appease situations
,
avoid conflicts
, and
maintain harmonious relationships
(Luis)
uses her mind-reading ability
to conform to the needs and wants of others
(Wilford)
represses her thoughts that deviate
from the expected roles she had living in the settlement (Catherine)
having
a voracious appetite for making others feel good
rather than her cannibalistic tendencies renders the mountain witch
considerate
,
loving
, and
caring
(Arvin)
submissive
and not used to speaking her mind to keep the peace (Julienne)
may have external traits of the classic witch but always acts
in the service of those around her
(Anikka)
depicts a difference in dominion over their respective habitats: a classic mountain witch is a fearsome figure in her "natural" environment, while the genuine mountain witch is a
subservient woman in a "foreign" human land
(Sebastian)
appetite
not for herself but
for the
love of others
(Martin)
mind-reading ability as power?
essential requirement to
assimilate
into society (Luis)
helps her
meet social expectations
of being gracious, slim, perceptive and sensitive to others’ needs all the time (Margarita)
empowers
her to build a good rapport with others but entails
dangers
as this could severely damage her relationship with herself, her identity, and, ultimately, her happiness(Angel)
the power
to know
what other people want from them to be able
to give and supply
what those would be (Maria)
the genuine mountain witch is otherwise
more controlled by her powers than she controls it
(Vivienne)
a double-edged sword:
she satisfies people’s desires making her appreciated at the cost of losing her identity (Julienne)
this power is
ironic
to itself since it only shows her weakness as a woman that submits herself to others (Alyanna)
there is still
some sense of empowerment
on the part of the mountain witch because she was able to take control of her ability and decide on how to use it (Angela)
literary techniques
: doubling, splitting, and mirroring
serves as a
subversive retaliation respons
e to the lived experiences of women (Luis)
appeals to the human characteristics of the “genuine” witch as a
wife
,
mother
, and
member
of society (Wilford)
doubling
occurs between the witch and her daughter through their unfathomable care toward each other during times of sickness while
splitting
and
mirroring
take form in her repressed thoughts on being an affectionate mother and being another with demonic rage (Catherine)
exhibiting her
multifaceted nature of women
, self-sacrificing appetite, and transformative power (Arvin)
provide
richness and depth to the genuine characteristics
of a mountain witch which contrasts with that of a classic one (Jasmin)
mirroring
in the roles she takes on as a young woman, wife, daughter, and mother;
doubling
in the invocation of two types of mountain witches in the story; and
splitting
in the power that lends both strength and weakness
fate of the mountain witch
her role and identity are already
predetermined
irrespective of her choices (Luis)
she would be an
outcast
either way: as a mountain witch she was free but feared, and as a disguised woman she was caged but not feared as much (Margarita)
to
live alone without love and acceptance
from others or to
make other people happy
, sacrificing her freedom and happiness in the process (Angel)
women will always be
judged
or
persecuted
for both following and acting beyond society’s norm (Maria)
loneliness of both ways:
the classic mountain is shunned by society while the genuine mountain witch never really fits in despite living in society (Vivienne)
suggests the presence of
oppressive norms and expectations
set upon women regardless of their conformity or resistance (Angela)
the intersection between
past cultural folklore
and the then-current
societal ideals
(Martin)
family in post-war Japan
traditions like
ubasute
which entails abandoning old
women in the mountains and the concept of throw-away women (Luis)
dedicated male workforce
that depended heavily on their housewives to take care of everything at home (Margarita)
reflects the
“Professional Housewife”
who pleases her family and contributes to the economy by being a perfect wife and mother who takes on domestic roles (Angel)
glorifying the role of
homemakers as an intellectual career
(Maria)
state propaganda
imposed women to
stay home
(Vivienne)
the
societal shift
toward women as professional housewives and the shift from extended families to nuclear family units (Graciel)
the
“company-centered society”
and prevalence of
nuclear families
(Kate)