men are praised for doing immoral acts such as being unfaithful when women are ridiculed for such acts.3. Women are expected to serve men submissively. They are like flowers...beautiful, fragile and they have no choice in who comes along and picks them. Women were used for entertainment and satisfaction. The book seemed to basically revolve around Genji’s relationships with women.4. Clothes represented social status throughout the novel. Even if women were not completely acceptable to Genji, he would send them clothes to bring them up to his standards. People were very self-conscious of style. Still today people are judged based on name brands and styles of clothing.5. Sneaking around was a central theme in the novel. Shadows and screens enhanced this subject. The houses and rooms were easily entered and open which might have represented the ease with which Genji entered into affairs with various women. The houses were remote which made sneaking around possible. Several instances occurred which represented the characters emotions and the events taking place. For example, the storm after Aoi’s death represented the mourning and darkness in Genji’s life.6. Poetry and letters were the main form of communication throughout the novel. Secrecy and coded information were very important as well. Secrecy made the encounters more exciting and mystifying. People were judged by how well they wrote poetry and the style in which it was written. The color of the paper was also vital for it set the mood and communicated unwritten emotions....
