Saikaku, Pushkin and El Saadawi: Is Justice Possible?

A detailed Summary of Saikaku, Pushkin and El Saadawi: Is Justice Possible?

The concept of justice, in literature and in life, is a universally cherished yet complex and inherently ambiguous one. All societies have respective, sometimes opposing, ideas about justice. Islamic Sharia law (once enforced in Afghanistan by the Taliban) states that cutting off a hand is apt justice for theft. Western society would consider that act not only unjust but barbaric. Webster's New American Dictionary defines "justice" as (1) "the administration of what is just (as by assigning merited rewards or punishments)"; (2) "the administration of the law; and (3) FAIRNESS; also RIGHTEOUSNESS" (p. 285). By any of those (admittedly Western) definitions, particularly the last one, neither Ihara Saikaku in "The Barrelmaker, Brimful of Love"; Alexander Pushkin in "The Queen of Spades"; nor Nawar El Saadawi in "In Camera" depict justice as feasible within the socially-constructed institutions (e.g., insane asylums; courtrooms; marriage) or other elements of a perceived human nature (e.g., agreements; promises, exchanges of goods for services, verbal contracts) depicted within these three stories. Instead, self-interest takes precedent over justice (or even fair play, propriety, or basic human decency).

The poor servant girl Lizaveta Ivanovna, according to Pushkin's curiously detached, newspaper article-like conclusion to this story, fares better: she marries "a very agreeable young man" ("The Queen of Spades", p. 883). However, Lizaveta Ivanovna is now also "bringing up a poor relative" (Pushkin), one whom she may very well in turn tyrannize, just as she herself was tyrannized by the Countess. Justice, within such circumstances, is ambiguous. Arguably, since Hermann likely contributed to the old Countess's death, he should not be rewarded by successfully executing her secret and growing rich. He is not. It seems harsh justice that Hermann should go mad (except, perhaps, as an ironic replacement for his over-rational approach to life). In terms of human concepts of justice, one could reasonably wonder rather or not it is indeed just, early on in the story, for the Countess to insist on keeping her lucrative gambling secret, when others (including her grandson) might have also benefited from it. It might also have been unjust, considering the Countess's own, earlier, chronic card-playing compulsion, that she herself was ever told the secret, instead of being forced, as most would be in similar circumstances, to simply sweat out her losses.

In a more contemporary short story "In Camera" [trans. "In Closed Session"] (p. 2999), by Egyptian author Nawal El Saadawi, justice appears similarly mysterious and elusive. A young woman, described by the judge hearing charges brought by the government against her, as "This student, who is not yet twenty years old" (p. 3002), is on trial, at first in open court (later in closed session) for allegedly referring "to Him, whom God protect to lead this noble nation all his life [i.e., the King of this nation], as 'stupid'" (El Saadawi).

If justice indeed exists (and the question of whether it exists is never answered in this story) Pushkin implies in "The Queen of Spades" that it is up to fate, rather than human beings, to either understand, recognize, or dispense it.

visit the Inner Shrine or the sacred beach at which homage is paid to the Sun, stopping

To be unhappy in love . . . is not unheard of . . . we should keep this man in mind

if he has a suitable livelihood. Providing he is not a gambler or a widow chaser,

only at the Outer Shrine for only a few minutes and purchasing as their only souvenirs

Some common words found in the essay are:
El Saadawi, Ihara Saikaku, German-born Hermann, Brimful Love, Arguably Hermann, Al Fargani, Saadawi Camera, Osen Meanwhile, Queen Spades, Spades Camera, queen spades, brimful love, barrelmaker brimful, barrelmaker brimful love, el saadawi, called king, saikaku barrelmaker brimful, closed session, saikaku barrelmaker, queen spades camera, growing rich, king 'stupid', judge hearing, pushkin queen spades, called king 'stupid',

Approximate Word count = 1738
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English