According to Nancy Chowdorow the process of ‘mothering’ is not inherent to childbearing. Motherhood is a role that is both intentionally and unconsciously played by most women since time immemorial. The role of a mother in a household was previously a productive one, when the family structure was primitive, labour was not isolated from the family unit, states Chowdorow. The traditional family, including the two partners and children, carried out productive endeavours in unison. After the advent of industrialization and capitalism, this however changed drastically, work was now an isolated effort and mostly men took out the roles of the provider and women were given the task of taking care of the household chores while the children went to school. Where does womanhood come into the picture then? My paper is an attempt to answer that question. To find the expression of womanhood by critically analysing at the character of the mother in Onibaba. Onibaba is a Japanese ‘erotic-thriller’. The film is a classic masterpiece having elements of Noh and the use of traditional han’nya masks.
In the end Onibaba (translated as demom demon hag) becomes synonymous to the older woman which seems to be an unfair representation. My purpose is to try to bring some kind of justice to her character, by looking into her side of the story. The demonizing of the mother character is a classic example of how womanhood was perceived across different cultures. The mask plays an important role in the de-humanisation of the mother. My paper delves deeper into the relationship of the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law to find elements of feminine sexual expression otherwise overlooked. The body as the means as well as manifestation of the feminine sexuality will also be looked upon.
