But Noriko Doesn't WANT to Get Married! [Part One] (Furnish)

 


Of course she has her reasons for this. Societal pressures put her in a place where maybe just getting married is better than the alternative of resisting what her family is constantly telling her. Oh, I suppose I should clarify which Noriko I am talking about. Or should I?


Well, each Noriko (Tokyo Story, Early Summer, and Late Spring) seems to have a strong aversion to marriage, but this doesn’t mean that they all have the same motivation. In fact I would argue the motivation is very different and distinct for each incarnation of Noriko. Some of Noriko’s motivations are more difficult to divine than others, but I find the collaboration of all three movies helps the process, by considering both their similarities and their differences.


Let’s start with Tokyo Story. What exactly is the proof that Noriko doesn’t want to get married? 

  • Noriko has remained a widow for eight years after the disappearance of her late husband. She chooses not to remarry, even though this would be socially acceptable at this point.

  • We learn that Shoji was an alcoholic, like Shukichi, possibly pointing to their marriage being troublesome.

  • Noriko’s parents insist to her many times that she is not only allowed to move on from their son’s death, but that she will be happier if she remarries. Regardless, Noriko seems uncomfortable with these conversations, and confesses near the end of the movie that she has a guilty conscience which keeps her from remarrying.


What then are the motivations for Norkio’s aversion to marriage?

  • It seems only natural to look first at the actual reason Noriko gives, mentioned above, during her talk with Shukichi in the last scene. There is something weighing on her. She admits that she doesn’t think of Shoji as often as she should. How is this guilt standing in the way of remarriage? It’s possible she is afraid that her memory and fondness for Shoji will fade if he is ever replaced. 

  • But this is only a surface-level interpretation when we don’t consider other signs she gives off in the film. As mentioned before, when Noriko has tea with her in-laws, they bring up Shoji’s history of alcohol abuse. The mention of this makes Noriko visibly upset, despite her best efforts to keep the mood light. This scene points to a graver problem: an unhappy marriage. 

  • Noriko’s character in Tokyo Story is subtle, but we can guess this much: Noriko wasn’t entirely happy in her marriage to Shoji. Perhaps this means she would more eagerly forget him, and perhaps his disappearance was a release from an already difficult situation. But Noriko is a kind person, and while these feelings would be natural to anyone in her situation, she feels immense guilt over this relief. To pay penance, or perhaps to prove to herself that she really did love Shoji, she does everything she can to honor his memory. 


There are many interpretations that are left open for this character. It is possible that she genuinely is happy living as a single woman, and does not think that getting married would make her happier, especially given that her first marriage was more difficult than she would have wanted. Another possibility is that she does want to get married, but she feels intense guilt over her almost-ambivalence to Shoji’s disappearance, and getting remarried would further that guilt, especially if she found herself in a happy marriage. Of course we must also leave open the interpretation that she was entirely happy with Shoji, despite their troubles, but, as any person would do, she has felt herself beginning to move on, and that scares her. When grief has been prominent for so long, it’s easy to wonder if you are a bad person for letting it fade, even if there’s nothing you can do to stop this process.


Interestingly enough, and especially with reference to Early Summer and Late Spring, there does not seem to be any indication in Tokyo Story that Noriko is opposed to the general idea of marriage. In fact, the movie is full of examples of married couples who, even though they have their troubles, remain happy with their marriage. The movie does not stand in opposition to marriage, but rather explores the fullness of it in all its stages of life. Noriko loves her parents, and sees at least the possibility of happiness in marriage, but refrains from remarrying due to an internal struggle.


(To be continued in Part Two, coming soon...)

Comments

  1. Krishnan VenkateshDecember 22, 2021 at 10:16 AM

    A shrewd and thorough consideration. Could all of these possibilities coexist in her, as a complex human being with shifting thoughts? All of them together would then result in a self-effacing distance that cannot give itself up to any dream of simple happiness -- and marriage requires this dream.

    ReplyDelete

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