Genji

4 Pages 966 Words

Genji: The Title Character for a Reason
Genji must be recognized as the principal male character in Murasaki Shikibu’s “The Tale of Genji”. In this way, by literary definition, he is the novel’s irreplaceable hero. The more recognized definition of a hero, one seen for his special or bold achievements, could apply to Genji although he didn’t necessarily work hard to achieve anything. He was born beautiful, talented, charming, and simply irresistible and therefore can be called a hero at birth. This is quite an achievement, and the only characters eligible for comparison after Genji’s death are the two princesses, Oigimi and Naka no Kimi.
Although Genji’s father removes him from the imperial family, it is only a technicality and Genji spends the majority of his life experiencing luxuries as an Emperor’s son. He is immediately favored by anyone who enters his path and it seems that his entire existence was previously planned out to be naturally perfect; an impeccable being born into a situation in which he can properly be displayed. The fact that Genji doesn’t need to work for any of his accomplishments (this includes his many women) raises the question of whether or not he is in fact a natural born hero, or simply spoiled “royalty” with an offensive amount of luck.
“Genji’s looks had an indescribably fresh sweetness, one beyond even Her Highness’s celebrated and, to His Majesty, peerless beauty, and this moved people to call him the Shining Lord… His Majesty was reluctant to spoil Genji’s boyish charm, but in Genji’s twelfth year he gave him his coming of age, busying himself personally with the preparations and adding new embellishments to the ceremony. Lest the event seem less imposing than the one for the Heir Apparent, done some years ago in the Shishinden, and lest anything go amiss, he issued minute instructions for the banquets to be offered by the various government offices and for the things...