Memoirs of a Geisha | Themes

Memoirs of a Geisha Themes

Destiny

An unavoidable and powerful controlling theme, destiny is central to every character's role in the novel. The question that is explored through the character of Sayuri is can we control and shape our destiny or is our destiny predetermined and written in the stars? Sayuri's destiny is clearly to be a geisha and to be with the Chairman, what it is necessary to understand is the path she takes in fulfilling her destiny.

As a child Chiyo/ Sayuri leads an innocent and blameless life; an innocuous accident leads to her meeting with Tanaka, an encounter that then influences the rest of her life. Her destiny is to be sold to an Okiya in Gion where she is to be trained as a geisha; if she hadn't met Tanaka that day she might never have become a geisha.

Her success as a geisha looks doubtful with several factors conspiring against her....
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