A Family Supper: A Visit to a Japanese Home

Seeing the high frugal growth of japan, and victimization the countrys high tech products that atomic number 18 sold solely around the globe, all non- Nipponese muckle rich person an idea somewhat the assimilation of the nation. In the international mind, Japan is highly demarcation minded, believes in scotch nationalism, and is mainly Buddhist.All Buddhist nations in the world, except for China and Korea, atomic number 18 suddenly peaceful in their foreign relations, which is to say that they practice the theory of passive resistance propounded by the wisest of people. In order to practice nonviolence, any piece beingness must(prenominal) act kinda unfeeling or unworked up, which is actually quite beneficial in Japanese argument too.The phrase cold and cipher is apt in describing the benefits of being unemotional in business. It is this unemotional Japanese culture that comes to the fore in Kazuo Ishiguros A Family Supper. The story is an expounding of the Japanese culture in the foreign mind. Given that it does non place the culture of Japan away from the narrators home, it is the story of a Japanese home, which happens to be typically Japanese in the perspective of the non-Japanese commentator.The Japanese app atomic number 18ntly do not believe in the exhibition of their emotions. If they are extremely worried, upset, or depressed, they prefer to extract suicide rather than to subject themselves to shame by revealing their emotional problems to others. Ishiguros story deals with deuce suicides, one of the narrators fix, and the other of his fathers fri remove, Watanabe.The latter(prenominal) was suffering from business problems, and therefore committed suicide because of the emotional falsify that he could not express to others. Business is, of course, all important to the Japanese. In the case of the narrators beat, we are told that she consumed the dreadful fugu fish, which e rattlingbody knew to be bad or highly risky to consum e.The beat used to avoid consuming the fugu fish, but on this finical occasion, writes Ishiguro, she made an exception, having been invited by an old schoolhouse friend whom she was anxious not to offend (320). Obviously, the mother wanted to commit suicide.Neither she nor Watanabe were said to use the help of a psychotherapist when they were suffering from emotional problems. In her case, She had many worries. And some disappointments (325). In the case of Watanabe, we are intercommunicate by the narrators father, He didnt wish to choke with the disgrace of having lost his business (320). Yet, both the mother and Watanabe feel emotions that are intense bountiful to call for suicide.It appears strange that a highly business minded society is not positive full to deal in good order with its emotional problems. In other words, the Japanese society that is described by dint of Ishiguros story does not always come out to struggle for survival, hoping, praying, believing, and e xpecting let out days. Instead, everything seems to be alright for individuals until they cannot seem to deal with their emotional problems and decide to end their lives.What is more, nobody seems to miss the people who have died with intense emotions. The narrator of Ishiguros story does not fifty-fifty recognize his mothers slip in the picture during the family supper, on which the story is based. All that the Japanese seem to feel for the deceased is rationalized sympathy. twain the narrator and his sister, Kikuko, refer to their deceased mother as Poor Mother (323).They believed that their mother was poor or infelicitous because she could not deal with her problems in a positive way. Neither did Watanabe carry that he could start afresh with a new business. For him, the end of his business marked the end of his life. The unemotional nature he must have expressed in business did not help him out. Rather, Watanabe felt emotions that he found humiliating to express beforehan d his death, just like the mother who also committed suicide.Although the narrator of A Family Supper is visiting Japan dickens years after his mothers death, there is no family countersign held about his mother. Only facts are important to know. Anything emotional seems to be avoided at all costs.The narrators mother did not confide in her children during her depressive phase before the suicide. And, if she had mentioned her problems to her husband, he is not willing to share them with the children. By underplaying emotions, the Japanese family is revealing its cultural belief in rationality that defines its economic success.As a matter of fact, Japan is known to be a very successful nation. If the country had been emotional and violent, it would most likely have been harry by problems known to the entire world. But we do not find out about the budget deficit in Japan, neither do news program reports complain that Japan has bullied another nation.All emotions seem to be checke d, and the mind is held supreme. Nevertheless, it is human nature to fail as well as succeed. Perhaps the mother of the narrator as well as Watanabe had had their minds failed. Both of them had passed the stage of youth. Still, they did not seem to have revealed their strong emotions unto others. Even Kikuko, while living with her mother, did not seem to have focused on her mothers problems. Both the suicides seem to have been done based on the intellect alone, even if the intellect had pretty much failed. In other words, Watanabe and the mother must have lost their minds. Therefore, the reader cannot blame lack of emotions, seeing that Japan remains generally successful without them.Kikuko does not feel love toward her boyfriend. She is not even sure whether the boy whom she likes would be good for her to spend a lot of time with. This is another exposition of the unemotional nature of the Japanese, although the reader may assume that Kikuko may eventually start feeling enough for a man whom she would finally conjoin. And, she will marry that is a certainty.All non-Japanese people probably have an idea about the family values of the Asians. Asian societies are mostly decrepit. Kikuko cannot speak openly before her father She answered him with short, formal replies (321). Moreover, the young lady must obey her father without questioning and without doubts. There is no favor between the father and daughter. What is more, the girl is probably not allowed to slug before her father.She mentions to her brother that she had been wanting to smoke for quite a while. When he asks her wherefore she did not smoke, she simply points at her house, referring to the father inside the house. She must regard as her father unconditionally, and there is no point in questioning wherefore he would not agree to his daughters desire to smoke as opposed to his sons. It is tradition, it is faith.Japanese girls normally do not smoke before their fathers because smoking is a b ad habit that girls in particular should not adopt. Kikuko is expected to cook in the home, and serve tea. Besides, she must marry soon after her education is complete. This is, indeed, a typically Asian knowledge of gender roles. And, foreign readers of Ishiguros story must be aware(p) of it to begin with, for this kind of knowledge exists in our collective consciousness if zippo else.Ishiguro takes the foreign reader into the Japanese home to remind him or her about the culture of Japan that the reader may already have knowledge about. In point of fact, Ishiguros story confirms our beliefs about the unemotional and patriarchal Japanese culture. The unemotional nature of Japan has done it good, although when a Japanese person loses his or her rationality, there may be no routine back. After reading the story, there is no doubt left in the readers mind as to whether Japan would show neat emotions in the near future, or if the country has become modernized enough to leave the pa triarchal culture behind. In truth, Japan is still holding firm its cultural values.Works CitedIshiguro, Kazuo. A Family Supper.