The Confessions Of Lady Nijo Summary

While reading The Confessions of Lady Nijo, an overall theme continued to reoccur to me. This theme struck me on a personal level as it is something I struggle with on a daily basis; that is depression and anxiety. Lady Nijo, although it never stated she carried these personality disorders, it was made clear to me as I personally understand the symptoms. She often spoke solemnly and never seemed to be content with anything. There were lines in which she even claimed she was feeling depressed. These feelings most likely stemmed from her traumatic rape with GoFukakusa in her early teenage years. I continually noted my feelings of upset, anger, and distrust throughout the story. As I did so, I began to understand how Lady Nijo felt during these situations. For example, early on when GoFukakusa had raped her, he was angered that she would not speak to him, I began to feel hatred for him and saddened for her (Brazell 6). Then, I began to understand exactly how she was feeling. Depression often goes undetected to those who have never witnessed it before. It is something that takes time and emotional support to move past, which can be extremely difficult in certain cases (Pruthi, 2017). In my personal opinion, she expressed characteristics of those of a depressed teenager.

She retaliated with Lady Genki and beat His Majesty with a stick in the same manner (Brazell 71). Outbursts that cause a person to lash out like that are often a huge sign of depression. Although in this case it may have been triggered by a reasonable cause, this type of outlash is often viewed in a professional setting as a “cry for help” (Colodner, 2017). It can be extremely difficult for those struggling with these disorders to ask for help, especially when they are in a situation like Lady