Why is She Married to Him?

Akiko is a housewife in japan who has been trying to get pregnant but for medical reasons she cannot. Because of her not being able to give birth, her husband has been getting upset and taking his frustration out on her. “ … He said you were perfectly capable of controlling it if you wanted to. So now, how can you explain that?” (Ozeki, 99). Shortly after this statement Akiko offers up the idea to adopt since they want children however john disagrees and wants his own biological children. The main trend throughout the story with Akiko is that she struggles with having children the doctors say that she is ill and unable to have children because she is throwing up and getting really sick interfering with producing children. I am not sure exactly what her medical condition is but the Japanese doctors put the fertility blame on the women. For example, later in the story, Jane has to go to the doctors her infertility. They took X-rays and found a problem in her uterus and that they had found some cancer cells but the doctor urged Jane that she could still bare kids. The Japanese doctors are putting all of the fertility control onto the women even though they may have health problems. Because of these health problems, it stresses out the husbands. Is the role of women in Japanese society to have children and start a family or is it the same for every culture that women are to blame for infertility? The reasons behind Akiko’s health are not fully known. I feel that her violent husband who scares her, abuses her, and degrades her impacts her mental health. “No matter what answers she put down, John always got angry and told her they were wrong. And then she had to defend them.”(Ozeki, 128). If he is always getting angry and yelling at her, she probably feels stressed and is getting sick from the emotional trauma. Why would she allow herself to marry a man who treats her like this? They met by an Akiko’s boss getting them together and suggesting marriage. Akiko sort of slid into the marriage. It seems like once she started to date and get serious with him that she would get sick from being nervous and not be able to keep food down so she started loosing weight. I feel that the reason she married John was because of her boss saying that she should be getting married and that she needed to find a husband. But I would rather be single then to deal with the stuff she has to face. Is it a cultural thing that the Asian women are so shy towards men who demand children and a family? In America, there are husbands and wives who do not have children, either they don’t want to or they cant yet they still last because they love each other. Does john love Akiko enough to work through the hardship that they are facing as a couple who want to start a family? How much does John love her if he is acting so violent and having thoughts about finding a new wife in order to get children? If he loved her so much why doesn’t he believe her when she says that she cannot help getting sick? What if this marriage is not solely based on love but rather traditional Japanese society?