Inspector Imanishi Investigates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Inspector Imanishi Investigates - Essay Example Fortunately this has started to change. Although the novel itself does bring up the issue, it is not certain whether the author was completely against women being subordinate, because of the way the inspector treats his wife and sister. Regardless, Inspector Imanishi Investigates is critical of a society in which powerful men are able to do whatever the want to women. Japanese society traditionally does not respect women very much. In fact, Japan in general is a "society where a rigid sex-role division of laobr persists" (Yoshihama 417). This means that women are supposed to do "womens things" and men are supposed to do "manly things," unlike for instance the United States where women can get jobs if they want. "Japan is probably the country with the least commitment to the principle of gender equality in the modern industrialized countries" (Mia 31). Because of this set of traditional circumstances, "women as a group are socialized as inferior to men in terms of esteem, power, honor, privilege, and authority" (Mia 31). This sort of thing can be clearly seen in the novel in how Imanishi treats his wife. The very first time she appears it is doing household chores after Imanishi gets home. Instead of asking her how she is doing, he lies down and takes a nap, and then eats some food she has prepared especially for him, even drinking alcohol with him to make him "comfortable" although she doesnt want any (Matsumoto 10). This is much like reality in Japan, where women are "restricted to assume domestic drudgery" (Mia 31). A few pages later, this is made even more clear when the detective calls his wife in from the kitchen and tells her â€Å"Hurry up and shine my shoes, will you?† (Matsumoto 12). Imanishi does not really know he is doing this to his wife, but because it is culturally acceptable he just accepts it as normal and does not even think about it. In other words "the