"The Life Of An Amorous Woman" - Dirty Profession, Pure Heart

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3 pages in length. Sometimes life is nothing more than a means to an end, and everything that happens in between the start and finish of a given life does not define the person who has endured its imperfect reflection. This is the case in Saikaku's "The Life of an Amorous Woman" and its concluding statement whereby the protagonist states "I've certainly worked in some dirty professions, but is my heart not pure?" (Saikaku, 1963). From such socially unsavory professions as Geisha, Madame and bathhouse servant, the protagonist's acknowledgement of what might otherwise be construed as an inappropriate or unfulfilling road is indicative of her realization that while she may not have made the best choices throughout her life, they did not serve to taint her pure heart. No additional sources cited.