Yoshiko's Trust and Violation

Traces Yozo's marriage to Yoshiko, the hope it brought, and the devastating effect of her violation on both of them.

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The Proposal

The Joke Becomes Serious The Bandaging Yozo fell into a manhole and Yoshiko bandaged his arm. He joked, "If I give up drinking, will you marry me, Yoshiko?" She answered, "Natch." The Betrothal Yozo was surprised by her simple trust. He decided to marry her, believing that her purity might save him. He saw her as a "waterfall among green leaves." The Decision He made the decision on the spot, a "then-and-there" choice. He believed he could steal the flower of her virginity and become a human being.

The Early Marriage

The Fragile Happiness The Simple Life Yozo and Yoshiko rented a room near the Sumida River. Yozo gave up drinking and drew cartoons. They went to movies and bought flowers. For a time, Yozo felt a glimmer of hope. The Genius of Trust Yoshiko trusted Yozo completely, even after he told her about the Kamakura incident. She never suspected his affairs. Yozo was amazed and troubled by her innocence. The Shadow of Horiki Horiki's reappearance shattered this peace. He brought with him the temptation of drink and the ghosts of the past.

The Violation

The Discovery The Roof Game Yozo and Horiki played a guessing game on the roof. Horiki went downstairs and returned to say, "Extraordinary beans you've got here." He pointed through the window to Yozo's room, where the shopkeeper was with Yoshiko. The Paralysis Yozo saw them but did nothing. He ran back to the roof and collapsed. He felt a fear more profound than anger, a "fierce ancestral dread." His hair turned grey that night. The Aftermath Yozo did not blame Yoshiko. He blamed Horiki for not coughing earlier. He realized that Yoshiko's trustfulness was the cause of her defilement. He began to question: "Is trustfulness a sin?"

The Slow Decline

The Cracks in the Trust Yoshiko's Fear Yoshiko began to tremble before Yozo. She spoke with excessive honorifics and could not smile. Yozo's own trust in her was destroyed; he began to suspect she had been unfaithful with others. The Return to Drink Yozo resumed drinking heavily. His face coarsened, his teeth fell out. He drew pornographic pictures to buy gin. The marriage became a hell. The Question Haunts Yozo repeatedly asked himself, "Is immaculate trustfulness a sin?" He could not forgive himself for failing to protect Yoshiko, and he could not forgive her for being too trusting.

The Overdose

The Second Suicide Attempt The Dial Box Yozo found a box of Dial sleeping pills in the sugar bowl. He had hidden it himself, scratched off the label, and Yoshiko could not read the Western letters. He took the entire contents. The Three Days He lay as one dead for three days. The doctor thought it was an accident. When he regained consciousness, he murmured, "I want to go home," and wept. The Separation Yozo asked the madam to take him away from Yoshiko. He said, "I want to go somewhere where there are no women." This wish was later grotesquely fulfilled in the mental hospital.

The Final Separation

The End of the Marriage The Hospital Visit Yoshiko came to visit Yozo in the mental hospital. She brought his hypodermic needle and the remaining morphine, still believing it was a health tonic. Yozo refused them for the first time in his life. The Last Image Yozo saw Yoshiko's divine ignorance and felt a pang of something like love. But he knew the marriage was over. He was now a madman, and she was condemned to a life of anxiety. The Aftermath of Trust Yozo's final thought about Yoshiko was that her trustfulness had been violated more brutally than her body. The betrayal of trust was the deepest wound, one that could never heal.

after Yozo's stay at the Kyobashi bar, winter

after the wedding, spring

a hot summer night

after the violation, that autumn and winter

that winter, after the violation

after the overdose, in the mental hospital