Memoirs Of A Geisha Essay

“Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many,” (Phaedrus) seems to be a recurrent theme throughout the novel, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. Inspired by Mineko Iwasaki’s life, Golden spins the story of a young girl who is sold into “slavery” and is trained to be a geisha as WWII occurs. Sayuri, one of the most well regarded and famous geishas to ever exist, struggles with her transition from being a plebeian in a fishing village to a training geisha in an an okiya. However, during this time, Sayuri becomes acquainted with many different types of people who are not what they seem; may they be enemies or friends. One is the most beautiful but ill-mannered geisha while one is kind and loyal despite having a harsh exterior. As many say, never judge a book by it’s cover and it becomes an important lesson for young
Beforehand, Sayuri discusses how people believe that she comes from generations of geishas and had been trained since she was weaned from the breast, However, this is all untrue. Instead, she grew up as Chiyo in a poverty stricken village where her mother struggles to stay alive and her father is full of misery. Chiyo had spent plenty of time struggling before her debut in the the Geisha community as Sayuri. Chiyo had lost her sister when they were both sold, but her sister was sold into prostitution instead because her sister was not considered as attractive as Chiyo. Because of this, Chiyo spends most of her time searching and trying to find her sister once she arrives at the okiya. It was only a matter of luck that Chiyo was allowed to restart her career as a Geisha; after being casted aside and becoming a maid. Although, many people still see Sayuri as a woman of prestige and refuse to see her as anything but a Kyoto geisha even if she started out as everything but a Kyoto