In “The Broom Tree,” readers are shown the ideal qualities that men
looked for in women. A collection of letters from rejected women
leads Genji and Chujo into a long discussion about finding the perfect
one. A few other people join the conversation to offer their own
opinions. Chujo seems very experienced and almost jaded, mentioning
that the perfect woman is very hard to find. Finding a beautiful woman
with a suitable personality is not enough. She must also be able to
run the household, uphold a good reputation, and come from a decent
family. Even these qualifications have certain specifications. For
example, if she comes from a decent family, they must not be too rich.
The men seemed to have detailed opinions on how a woman should behave.
“If she is a jealous type you may remember her or may lose interest
over time, if is she is skilled but not skilled enough she may not be
of good use. If she lacks jealousy she may have another man on the
side which over time one would lose interest in her. If she’s
stubborn, she may keep one’s interest for a while but if too stubborn
one may go the other way.” These are all pessimistic generalizations
and the men don't take into consideration different circumstances that
may arise with different people. For example,if a woman lacks
jealousy, it could simply be because she trusts her husband.
It is mentioned at the start of the chapter that Genji did not like
the promiscuity around him. His affairs were the target of nosy
gossips, but he knew it would be worse if he had no affairs at all.
This shows how society encouraged men to have many mistresses, and it
was probably expected that women would face rejection and heartbreak
often. Judging from this chapter, men seemed to view women as inferior
beings whose feelings did not matter. Most women were seen as
replaceable, and society reinforced this because adultery was
acceptable and therefore very common. Because men knew that there
would be no consequence in moving on to another person, they probably
wouldn't think to work on their relationships in a realistic manner.
This chapter reveals how the men long for a stable relationship with a
woman, but will probably never find her because of their (and
society's) unfair and unrealistic standards.
looked for in women. A collection of letters from rejected women
leads Genji and Chujo into a long discussion about finding the perfect
one. A few other people join the conversation to offer their own
opinions. Chujo seems very experienced and almost jaded, mentioning
that the perfect woman is very hard to find. Finding a beautiful woman
with a suitable personality is not enough. She must also be able to
run the household, uphold a good reputation, and come from a decent
family. Even these qualifications have certain specifications. For
example, if she comes from a decent family, they must not be too rich.
The men seemed to have detailed opinions on how a woman should behave.
“If she is a jealous type you may remember her or may lose interest
over time, if is she is skilled but not skilled enough she may not be
of good use. If she lacks jealousy she may have another man on the
side which over time one would lose interest in her. If she’s
stubborn, she may keep one’s interest for a while but if too stubborn
one may go the other way.” These are all pessimistic generalizations
and the men don't take into consideration different circumstances that
may arise with different people. For example,if a woman lacks
jealousy, it could simply be because she trusts her husband.
It is mentioned at the start of the chapter that Genji did not like
the promiscuity around him. His affairs were the target of nosy
gossips, but he knew it would be worse if he had no affairs at all.
This shows how society encouraged men to have many mistresses, and it
was probably expected that women would face rejection and heartbreak
often. Judging from this chapter, men seemed to view women as inferior
beings whose feelings did not matter. Most women were seen as
replaceable, and society reinforced this because adultery was
acceptable and therefore very common. Because men knew that there
would be no consequence in moving on to another person, they probably
wouldn't think to work on their relationships in a realistic manner.
This chapter reveals how the men long for a stable relationship with a
woman, but will probably never find her because of their (and
society's) unfair and unrealistic standards.
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