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Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Hatsumomo and Mameha :
Mameha and Hatsumomo, the two experienced geisha who impact Chiyo's life during her apprenticeship, serve as foils for each other throughout the novel. Though Hatsumomo belongs to the same okiya as Chiyo, she despises Chiyo and attempts to sabotage her career. She is cruel and domineering, accomplishing her goals by threatening and blackmailing others. In contrast, Mameha treats others with kindness, which also proves to be an effective way of achieving her objectives. Though she does not belong to the Nitta okiya, she nevertheless takes Chiyo under her wing, training her to be a successful geisha.
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Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—The Chairman and Nobu:
Though the Chairman and Nobu are close friends and business partners, they also serve as foils for each other throughout the novel. Part of the reason why they are so effective in business, Sayuri feels, is that they complement each others' abilities and skills. The contrast in their characters is emphasized in a passage where Sayuri looks at a photo of the two business partners standing next to each other:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The Chairman—perhaps because of his prematurely gray hair and the difference in their sizes—might almost have been Nobu’s father, though he was only two years older. The articles said that while the Chairman was responsible for the company’s growth and direction, Nobu was responsible for managing it. He was the less glamorous man with the less glamorous job, but apparently he did it so well that the Chairman often said publicly that the company would never have survived several crises without Nobu’s talents.
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