 Oyone feels her childlessness was a punishment sent by the gods for abandoning her previous husband.Though Sōseki did not identify "The Gate" as part of an official trilogy, scholars and critics usually consider "The Gate" to be the third in a trilogy of novels begun by "Sanshiro" (1908) and (1909).All three novels deal with the themes of self-knowledge and responsibility – on the one hand, accountability to society, and on the other, responsibility to one's own emotions.