Tough The Characterization of Komako

24 something that can help her enjoy life. In writing the diary, she does not only write about what happened in her life but also writes about her opinion about literary works. It shows that she is smart and open-minded. Although she lives in a country area, she still spends a little bit of her time by reading magazine or literary works. After reading those literary works, she tries to give her opinion or comment on what she thinks happened in the story. She can understand the story and comprehend it by relating the characters. “You write down your criticisms, do you? I could never do anything like that. I just write down the author and the characters and how they are related to each other. That is about all.” Shimamura asks her about her purpose of writing about the criticisms of literary works. Shimamura asks whether it is useful for her or not because he thinks that what she has done is useless. Komako knows about it and agrees with Shimamura’s opinion that it is a waste effort. Although she says that it is no use, it shows that she can think well than the other people around her. It implies that she understand about life. “But what good does it do? … A complete waste effort,” she answered brightly, as though the admission meant little to her. p.41 Komako has been living alone since she was sixteen when she was in Tokyo. When she comes to Snow Country, she is alone. When she meets people who she really feels comfortable, she can reveal her burden. It looks that she is different with her usual activity. She can be another people whom she wants to be. She talked on feverishly, as though she had been starved for someone who would listen to her, and presently began to show an ease and abandon that revealed her to be at heart a woman of the pleasure quarters after all. And she seemed in general to know what there was to know about men. p.19 25 She talked happily too of movies and plays she had never seen. She had no doubt been starved all these months for someone who would listen to her. Had she forgotten that a hundred and ninety-nine days earlier exactly this sort conversation had set off the impulse to throw herself to Shimamura? Again she lost herself in the talk, and again her words seemed to be warming her whole body. p.42 It can be concluded that she is an introvert. She cannot tell anything with someone whom she does not believe in because of her past life. She keeps it to herself and she will tell it only when she finds the right person. Those mannerisms also prove that she is introvert.

4.2 Motivation of Komako in Keeping Relationships with Shimamura

The motivation of people to do something is based on human needs. Writer discusses the motivation uses Murray’s theory. It will be supported by Maslow’s theory and Beck’s theory. Murrays says that people’s personality, as the reflection of their behavior, is driven by secondary needs. Secondary needs are based on psychological needs such as needs of achievement, needs of power, needs of affiliation and needs of intimacy. Writer uses the theory of affiliation needs and intimacy needs. Affiliation needs and intimacy needs is about interpersonal attraction.

4.2.1 Needs of Affiliation

Murray states that needs of affiliation refer to the desire to spend time with other people. The needs involve social comparison, emotional support, positive simulation and attention from others. In the first visit of Shimamura to Snow Country, Komako has emotional support with him. She has desire to spend time 26 with him. At that visit, Shimamura wants to have a geisha and he needs help from Komako but she refuses it. She had barely taken a seat when he asked her to call him a geisha. “Call you a geisha?” “You know what I mean.” “I didn’t come to be asked that.” She stood up abruptly and went over to the window, her face reddening as she looked out at the mountains. “There are no women like that here.” p.20 The quotation above implies that Komako refuses to do what Shimamura asks. She does not want to call any geisha and gives any reason because she wants to spend her time with Shimamura. She is rather angry because he does not ask her to accompany him as a geisha. Shimamura has reasons why he does not ask Komako to accompany him. He has concluded that their relationships are just as friends because if it is an affair, it could not last longer. “An affair of the moment, no more. Nothing beautiful about it. You know that-it couldn’t last.” “That’s true. It’s that way with everyone who comes here. This is a hot spring and people are here for a day or two and gone.” Her manner was remarkably open – the transition had been almost too abrupt. “The guest who doesn’t say he’s fond of you, and yet you somehow know is – he’s the one you have pleasant memories of. You don’t forget him, even long after he’s left you, they say. And he’s the one you get letters from. p.22 Based on the quotation above, Komako thinks that Shimamura is the one whom she feels comfortable with. On the other hand, Shimamura is a married man from Tokyo who likes travelling. He goes to Snow Country to do hiking on the mountain. When he goes down to the country, he thinks that every geisha in that country is as beautiful as Komako. The first time he meets Komako, he says that