Thursday, February 10, 2011

The Pride Men Inherit and Distribute

The first thing I thought about when I found out we were going to read this book about Japan and its culture was pride. All throughout the book Kazou Ishiguro has displayed the pride that this culture carries through inheriting it from the generation before them. An example of this would be when Ono's father tried to turn him into a profound man that would carry out the family business, but at the same time he made sure Ono wouldn't make a fool out of himself by becoming an artist. "Tell me Masuji, have you any idea what kind of a world artists inhabit?.. They inhabit a world which gives them every temptation to become weak-willed and depraved"(46). Also when Ono's father was talking to his wife about the same matter he said, "..there is a weakness running through our son's character"(46). From this we see that having honor, dignity, and pride is a major trait of the Japanese culture for the men and soon-to-be men.

Focusing more on pages 153 when Ono tells his grandson Ichiro he is eight and about old enough to get his first taste of sake, beer. Ono goes on telling Ichiro how men believe they are stronger when they drink when in reality they are no more than they are sober. This ties into the floating world for Ono where all the artists would gather at the Midgi-Hagi to drink and converse while being nurtured amongst the spirit of rebels and patriots.

When Ono tells Norikio about his offer to Ichiro of his first taste of sake on page 156 and 157, she corrects his tradition of introducing boys to the realm of men. After being criticized by both of his daughters, Ono begins to question his on way of doing things, but doesn't admit it out loud. “You women may not understand, but these things mean a great deal to a young boy.. it's a question of pride.. you women just don't understand about pride”(157). Then we see where Ono begins to have a change of though of his ways for both Ichiro and his son, Keniji. “I believe I was quite annoyed with myself..to be fair it is possible I misinterpreted entirely what she actually said”(157 & 158).\

From this mini-section of the book, I believe it is a short interpretation of the entire book. Through out the beginning of the book, Ono inherits pride from his farther and became a patriotic artist within the floating world. In this world like he told Ono, he felt stronger than he really was along with the rest of his pupils. Then as his surroundings and culture began to change after the war, so did Ono. He began to accept his failure in the past and the new changes around him through being criticized from the younger generation, and former colleagues just like how he was criticized by his daughters about giving Ichiro a taste of sake. In the end he admits his mistakes and moves on with his life just like he does with his son, Ichiro, and his losses from the war.

The inner life of an artist

Okay so we all know that I am big on the inner-self and that I love psychology. While reading this book, that is all that I really focused on.. I found it really relatable and I learned some things through our discussions. So this is what this post is going to be talking about mainy is ono and his journey to recolect with himself.

This whole book I found as a journey of finding and reconsiliation. Masuji Ono is the artist who has taken the hard road of life. Wanting to become an artist at a young age and having his paintings looked down upon by his father took a toll on him as he looks back on it. Also the whole guilt trip of Japan losing the war, because he feels that he was an antagonist to the war, the fact that his son and his wife died because of the war made the guilt that much stronger. 

Throuhout the book Ono goes on this personal journey and along the way he eventually comes to terms with himself. From the arguing with his daughters and the talks he has had with his nephew he has gone on this journey. Acceptance was a big thing that Ono had to face. He had to face his responsiblities of his actions in the war. If the war wasn't enough for him, Japanesse culture was drastically changing right before his eyes because of the westernization of the americans and Ono, wasn't willing to accept this. I can relate because even now it is hard for us to accept change. Like every person in this world over time we accept chang in our lives and towards the end of the book Ono finally accepts the fact that the culture has changed, yet it doesn't want to be a part of it. He states in the last sentences of the book "One can only hope for the best for these young people." When he says that he still feels out of place from these poeple, which he sould because he is from a different era. Yet he doesnt want to conform to the change.

In a way I can relate to what Ono is going through because as of now I am going through my own personal  journey.  Throughout the book Ono is looking back on his life or like to see it as reflecting. I reflect on my life as well and through my reflection a grow a little bit and I learn to accept some things that have gone on through my life and I have also learned to appreciate the thngs in my life, Ono does this as well. He learnes to appreciate his talents as an artist and that what he has done was the right thing to do even though it has had its downfalls. he also learned to appreciate his family: his daughter and niece, he has also learned to appreciate his sensei and his students. Which I can also relate with.

The main thing that really had me liking this book was the fact that Ono is reflecting on his life. I think that it was one of the strong aspects of the book.

Duty, Honor, Country... Was it All a Waste?

Japan has been at war for over 10 years before the US got involved in the Pacific. The once poor and weak nation of Japan was to soon forge a destiny never imagines before. The world progresses without them and yet, Germany, Russia, France and the British have mustered their own power and serve as some of the most powerful nations on the face of the earth. Yet, " Japan stand like a giant amidst cripples and dwarfs. And yet we allow our people to grow more and more desperate, our little children to die of malnutrition", as Matsuda points out to Ono (173). Ono is presented with a dilemma that not only changed his perspective on the world he lived in, but that it was time to move on and change his way of painting. Mori-sans "floating world" may be that of pleasure and show the beauty that is contained with women and drinks, but to show the reality of things is a major step that Ono soon took after drawing a picture. This picture didn't only show the reality behind all the fake "floating world" ideology that everything is nice and perfect. Instead, "Eyes of the Horizon", depicts the difference in society by showing a gap between the wealthy and poor. Children represent the poor as they have barely enough to survive or even live anywhere in such harsh conditions, while politicians and business men drink and have all the time in the world to do what they want. What causes controversy and Ono's dismissal from Mori-sans villa is showing that the three children turn into Imperial soldiers who serve the Emperor, while the wealthy men retreat from the picture as if to hide from something. This was due to Matsuda's insistence that Japan must progress. He says, " It's time for us to forge an empire as powerful and wealthy as those of the British and the French. We must use our strength to expand abroad. The time is now well due for Japan to take her rightful place amongst the world powers. Believe me, Ono, we have the means to do so, but have yet to discover the will. And we must rid ourselves of these businessmen and politicians" (174). Japan was behind and many knew nothing of the outside world, the real world. Japan was itself its own 'floating world", where everything was perfect and beautiful, but they wouldn't progress much since they still dealt with problems about how society is. Here is where everything is based on. Ono's decisions to create something people didn't have, didn't believe in was soon to spark a change in mind, hearts, and souls of every Japanese person who thought it was imperative to make Japan better and bigger. This was the beginning of a new era for Japan. a simple painting or photograph can have much effect on people. For example the photo of the flag raising on Iwo Jima was memorable because every person back in the State were influenced by it. It provided hope and helped raise money for the war, since production of weapons and everything needed to win against Japan was declining at a heavy rate. Ono's painting is similar. It provided hope, even though at first it was disloyal to his teacher, but it was a step that soon gave young men the incentive to serve their Emperor, to serve their country, to believe that their country was expanding and becoming better. Of course this wasn't the case in the end, but Ono has no reason to believe that he did wrong is making patriotic paintings. At the time it was honorable to fight and die for Emperor and family, but as we see Japanese culture changes. It was risky and yet blameworthy to what Ono did to help the war effort. But as Ono point out, " We have the satisfaction of knowing that whatever we did, we did at the time in the best of faith. Of course we took some bold steps and often did things with much single-mindedness; but this is surely preferable to never putting one's convictions to the test, for lack of will or courage" (202). I do believe that Ono was right and is proud that he did what he did. The war benefited them in a way, but showed that in reality, Japan wasn't ready for the world. It accomplished only the fact that such ideology was to be forever cast away.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York. Vintage Books. 1989.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Sake for Me, Spinach for You...

Masuji Ono's conversations with his grandson, Ichiro, bring up comparisons between the West and East. Our first encounter with Ichiro we get a show of his love for cowboys through his imitation of Lone Ranger and he is fascinated with by a movie called Godzilla which is about a huge monster that destroys a city in Japan. The author Kazuo Ishiguro makes use of Ichiro's fascinations in two ways: First he shows us the difference in culture between generations. With the US now involved in Japan, the newer generation loses much of the older customs that Ono wishes would not be lost. Secondly, there is deeper meaning in each situation that gives light to problems within the old Japanese culture.

Later in the novel, Ichiro goes out to eat with Ono where we are introduced to another difference in the generation that is caused by the western influence. After Ichiro gobs down some spinach and starts acting like a maniac, Ono tries to figure out what he was doing. He thinks Ichiro is acting like a drunk man after drinking sake but he finds out that he is completely wrong. Ichiro is more interested in the American Popeye the Sailor man and his spinach than the Japanese and their sake. Ichiro asks Ono, "Does sake make you strong?" and Ono replies, "Sake can make you believe you're strong. But in reality, Ichiro, you're no stronger than before you drank it". What's interesting is that Ono admits that spinach can make Ichiro stronger. With spinach acting as a symbol for the American culture and Sake for the Japanese, the author shows that there is a major difference between strengths in both countries. Where the US is concerned, they have real strength, and where Japan is concerned, they only have false strength. The story is set after WWII when Japan is recovering from the defeat of their country. This spinach/sake metaphor directly represents the feeling of the Japanese at the time. Many thought that Japan would come out victorious, but the bravery and strength that Japan had was only imagined. The US had to show its true strength through the war and after, the Japanese were left reflecting upon their weak state.

A Reminiscing Artist

Masuji Ono really goes all out in the last portion of the book. He looks back onto the many hardships he went through in order to get to where he is. Being an artist was a very difficult road for Ono. He had to deal with his painting satisfying everyone while also being happy with himself.
He found happiness in art. He was one of the quick artists, as discussed during his dinner conversation with his son-in-law, Taro, his two daughters, and grandson. This was the start of one of his famous digression times. Although these areas of the book come about spontaneously, they are an interesting way to give some background.
When he looks back into his past, he looks back at every single detail possible. He looks back into the previous visits of his grandson compared to the visit now, Noriko being alone to being married and living side by side with his fellow painters then soon discovering one of them dies.
This is a lot to take in for one person especially after a war has just ended and there are many changes he must adjust to. Ono goes back and forth from his “floating world”. When he notices all the detail from the pleasure to the district to the villa, his travels from the floating world and back is very meaningful to him. The floating world is different for every artist. His paintings varied and they all were something he was proud to call his own. If you notice there is a lot of repetition in the last section of this novel.
When he speaks about his past he goes from his world as an artist to his world of being a grandfather, dad and father-in-law. The repetition in the reading really keeps a reader on track. This type of writing is slightly different from the rest of the novel. If you notice the beginning and middle of the novel was at times difficult to follow because everything moved along so quickly. In the beginning of the last section Ono repeats himself a lot when it comes down to his grandson drinking sake for the first time and his confidence in his paintings.
Sake is a big deal in a young man’s life, and Ono hesitated when dealing with this action and his grandson. Why was it so difficult? Is it just like any situation when it comes down to taking a big step in growing up? When he tells his daughters about his plan to give Ichiro a taste of sake with some water mixed in it they did not seem too happy about it. As usual Setzuko made sure she could somewhat comfort her father and in some way thank him for his thoughtfulness. Being a grandfather has also been a challenge for him but also something he enjoys. Is there some connection between his young grandson and his acceptance to this new Japan?
When reading the novel we should always keep in mind everything is being told only from one perspective. This has a lot of say when an artist is telling a story. They add in a little to the mix to make it more of their own. When I think of the fact that most of his stories may be completely different from the way his daughters may tell it, I think of the example of the two paintings he describes. The two painting were similar one was slightly different from the other, “’Eyes of the Horizon’ was indeed a reworking of ‘Complacency”, though with such differences as we might expected given the passage of years between the two” (168). Although this similarity may have occurred he was able to keep pride in his own painting, “An artist’s concern is to capture beauty wherever he finds it” (172).
While looking back at his time being taught by Mori-san he allows the reader to in a way see how he may have built the strength to keep believing in his own paintings. Mori-san mentions, “And no man will make me believe I’ve wasted my time” (151). Ono clearly presence the same confidence at the very end, “And while I may deserve only the smallest praise for my own paintings, when I come to look back over my life and remember I have nurtured and assisted the careers of all of you here, why then no man will make me believe I have wasted my time” (151).
Having this confidence and looking back on his past being able to learn from his experience is what has allowed him to deal with change without much struggle. There are things here and there that hurt him to accept, but he is proud of what he has done and is optimistic of what will come from Japan.

Works Cited
Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York. Vintage International. 1989.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Ono's Dilema

From the beginning of the novel, we are given the impression that Ono is a humble artist who made a mistake and has been chewed out by the rest of society for it though they once admired him. However Ono is a senile old man who thinks too highly of himself and is arrogant enough to try and shoulder the blame for leading Japan into war. Through out the novel, it seems that Ono is outcast by society because of his patriotism during the war when in reality he is the one excluding himself from the world.

At one point in his life, Ono believed in the emperor and what he stood for. He believed in a strong Japan that would rise against its fat bureaucrats and prosper. However, before all of this, Ono was a mere artist of a “floating world” of entertainment and pleasure. While working under Mori Ono was content with living a life of indulgence without a care for the world, as Matsuda puts it at the end of the novel Ono had a “narrow artist's perspective” (199). It was Matsuda that turned Ono on to the idea of a corrupt and disgraced Japan that needed to be fixed. It was with the “Eyes to the Horizon” Ono finally embarked down his path to patriotism and stepped out of the floating world. The idea of a new Japan was impressed onto Ono in such a way that he saw it as his own, but when he lost his wife and son to the war, Ono could not help but feel responsible for their deaths because it was similar opinions to his that led to the war in the first place.

This feeling of guilt then ate Ono from the inside and eventually clawed itself to manifest in the real world. Ono feels guilty for the loss of his family and for that reason, he can't help but feel uncomfortable when he sees that his wife and son died in vain. Kenji died in Manchuria, trying to extend Japan's reach, Michiko died as a result of the war, both were the result of ideals that Ono believed in and that is why he feels as if he played a major part in everything that happened.

It seems that this feeling of guilt then drives Ono mad. He sees hate in the eyes of the new generation because he hates himself for supporting the movement that took everything from him. However, Ono can't bring himself to admit his self loathing, his pride won't allow it. Instead, Ono projects his attitude to the people around him. I didn't begin to realize this until Ono mentioned his conversation with Setsuko on pages 192 and 193. How can it be that Setsuko cannot recollect the conversation in which she warned her father of the past when we are given such a vivid account of it? The only answer that I can think of is that said conversation never happened anywhere outside of Ono. When reading the novel, we must keep in mind that everything is being filtered by Ono so it is entirely possible that the events he describes aren't completely accurate he himself even acknowledges this on several occasions. To me all of the pardons on Ono's behalf for digressing and for the accuracy of his words is a clear hint by Ishiguro that Ono might suffer some kind of memory loss and that we should not trust him, since he himself can't remember the events that influenced his life. On page 193 Setsuko even tells Ono, “no one has ever considered Father's past something to view with recrimination.” Yet earlier on in the novel, Setsuko is hell bent on reprimanding her father.

It is entirely possible that Ono's subconscious caused him to imagine such a conversation with Setsuko to help him come to grips with his feelings. By having someone else blame him, Ono can force himself to justify himself. The miai also gives Ono the excuse he needs to come clean with himself and admit his mistakes. Indeed, the family does seem awkward when Ono begins his rantings and his daughters comment on this later on, though it doesn't seem so to Ono. In fact, in Ono's eyes, it wasn't until his confession that the miai took a turn for the best. It's funny how no one else remembers it that way.

Matsuda, who in a way forced Ono to become involved with the new Japan, admits that they never played a crucial part in the whole ordeal. It was the Army officers, politicians, and businessmen that the people followed not a simple artist.

These two instances just caused me to think that Ono didn't play a big a role as he would have us believe and that the most important aspects of the novel are coping mechanisms for Ono to deal with the loss of life in his family. However, at the end, Ono finally crosses the bridge of hesitation and decides to move on with his life for had it not been for the war and the occupation of Japan who knows what would have happened to the small nation.


Well I have to end this somewhere, and this might not have made sense but it was just something that I thought about.

Monday, February 7, 2011

In Nature

The second chapter of the book begins with the mention of the Bridge of Hesitation. Ono mentions that it is where men, husbands, hesitate on whether they should go into the pleasure district with the geishas, or head home with their wives. Ono finds comfort in the hesitation. It could simply be ironic that he finds beauty in the confusion and insecurities of others. But it could also signify that he is stuck in the middle of the generations. The pleasure district represents the newer generation and the homes represent the older generation. He is comfortable and unashamed where he is. He doesn't feel disturbed by be in between. This is how his views are. He agrees on some terms with both the older and newer generation, but he doesn't choose a side. He just likes seeing the beautiful sunset silence everything around him.

The Japanese culture is much different in the way we address on another. Here we are blunt and straight-forward. In the Japanese culture, they speak indirectly and by implications. This is how Noriko addresses her father, Ono. She compares him to the bamboo he has just cut. She comments that he cut it wrong and made it unbalanced. She's talking about his life, Ono's life, and how holding onto all that happened in the past is making his life unbalanced. On page 106, Ono mentions that some of the younger shoots are becoming more dominant. Here he is making a comparison with the bamboo and Noriko, Setzuko, and her son Ichiro.

Ono, also, seems to have a fascination with the snow falling outside on his garden. He makes notice of the snow falling off of the branch and the lantern evenly covered with snow. It's showing the symbolism of Ono being stagnant, and staying in the past, while Shintaro is trying to forget the past and is shaking the now off just like the tree branches.

Friday, February 4, 2011

The Artist

Who are the artists of the Floating World? Browsing through the internet I came across the term "Geisha". What's a Geisha you may ask, well they are men, women who for a living train to be entertainers. Meaning they spent every waken moment perfecting their dancing, music and poetry skills. They keep Japanese culture alive and that's what makes Japan so prideful. So why then do we read in Kazuo Ishiguro's An Artist Of The Floating World of businessmen and other common folk harbor disdain for an artist?

Ono's own father did not approve his choice of hobby and so tried bashing his dream by saying,
"Artists' live in squalor and poverty. They inhabit a world which gives them every temptation to become weak-willed and depraved. "(46). Why at this given moment? Ono is someone who wants to live his life for himself by escaping into the mystery and fantasy that's art. Maybe Ono's dad knows this but doesn't want his only male son to put the family name in shame by becoming a no-name artist. Imagine how people would treat Ono's family if he painted something so radical and the Japanese didn't like it? Surely they would be shun from society and seen as lowly people.

There's no shame however in being an artist. In fact it's probably the hardest profession there can be because the past, present and future of Japan is in their hands. Ono has so much to offer that what he paints will have an impact in Japanese culture. And as we know he does and because of that he's know reminiscing and thinking of all the people he knew before the war.
We understand that before he could become a "real artist" he worked for a commercial company that made "Japanese Art" .



"Japanese Culture - Geisha." Japan-Zone.com - Japan Travel Guide, Japanese Pop Culture, History, Japanese Girls, Japanese Guys. 1999-. Web. 04 Feb. 2011. .

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Ono's Haunting History

Ono is a very mysterious character. So far, the novel doesn't really told us a lot about his past mistakes, but there are a lot of characters who seem to have something against him. The surprising thing, though, is that Ono doesn't seem to realize it.
The narration seems to be using language that only excuses Ono, and doesn't go further into the accusations made against Ono by people like her daughter. However, this only seems to lead to the idea that Ono is trying to either hide or ignore that. Maybe he could also simply be on the “bridge of hesitation”.
In the beginning of April 1949, there is a small quarrel going on between the proposed Noriko and Ono. Of course, the argument is about the positioning of the tree, but what does this really mean? On page 106, Noriko says, “The azaleas have never regained their looks. That's what comes of Father having so much time on his hands. He ends up meddling where it's not required.”(Ishiguro 106) Azaleas are supposed to be pretty flowers, but Noriko keeps saying that they never regained their looks. Noriko is trying to hint at Ono how he messed up their last engagement, and she hasn't regained her status or image as beautiful. Ono messed it up when he gave away information about the military, and know Noriko is afraid he will do the same with the Saito's.
The history of Ono comes back to haunt him whenever he tries to revisit his old friend, Mr. Kuroda. I found it very strange how Mr. Enchi, the young painter under the mentorship of Mr. Kuroda, treated Ono with the most polite of manners, listening to every comment with high regard and detail. However, whenever he hears about his history with the war, Enchi treats him as low as someone has been treated this book. I found it funny how Ono acted as if he didn't know what was going on, “Most things are more complicated than they appear, Mr. Enchi. Young men of your generation tend to see things far too simply.”(113). Ono is trying to defend himself by stating that the past in something not understood by youngster, but the truth is that he needs to get on with this new generation because Enchi was serious when he said Kuroda didn't want to see him. I think Ono is having a difficult time admitting his past mistakes.
I think that the truth behind Ono is that his past decision to go into the military causes everyone to hate him. Even Mr. Saito and his family seems to have something against him. Ono seems a bit stubborn though, and he doesn't appear to change his mind anytime soon. Who knows what consequences he will have next.

The Generation Gap

Ono believes that there is a difference in the postwar generation. A difference in the way they see and understand things. zthey don't see things as they really are, but differently. Is this true?

In the second section of "An Artist of The Floating World" Ono goes to visit Kuroda. He makes this visit in an effort to clear up any misunderstanding they may have had in the past and make sure Kuroda doesn't sat anything about Ono's past that may jeopardize Noriko's marriage negotiations. Upon his arrival Ono is greeted by a young man, Kuroda's pupil, Enchi. Enchi assumes Ono is one of Kuroda's associates so initially he is very polite and welcoming, but when he finds out exactly who Ono is he changes. Ono says, "Until this point the young man had managed to maintain a polite tone in his voice, but now he seemed to lose his self control" (113). Enchi's voice changes and he is in this mood of disgust. From the things that Kuroda has shared with him about Ono the young man has no respect for Ono. Enchi accuses him of being a traitor and blames Ono for Kuroda being thrown in jail and all of the abuses he suffered while there. Ono says to him, "Young men of your generation tend to see things far too simply", (113).This angers Enchi and he responds even more forceful than before. Enchi believes that he knows exactly what happened and understood well enough.
Is it that Enchi sees thing too simply or is it that Ono simply doesn't understand the severity of the things that he did that may have caused Kuroda's imprisionment? This doesn't seem to be at all the case when one attempts to write Kuroda a letter and in Kuroda's response he say that he doesn't want anything to xo with Ono. This shows me that maybe the problem isn't with the younger generation at all. The problem is with Ono and has always been with Ono. The things that Hensley during the war were things that were considered in bad judgement at the time. Ono knew that but still he did them and had his pupils do it too.

In how own eyes Ono is right but to the people around him not so much. Shintaro, another of his pupils even came to him seeking a disclaimer to posters they had produced during he war. Ono refused to honor this request because he believed, as he later said, that a man should take responsibilty for things he has done in the past. So my question to you is: where do you think the difference lies, in the younger generation or in Ono?BlogBooster-The most productive way for mobile blogging. BlogBooster is a multi-service blog editor for iPhone, Android, WebOs and your desktop
Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of The Floating World. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1986. Print

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Beliefs

Matsuda says, "We may not have parted on the easiest of terms, but things like that shouldn't come between us. Naturally, I'd say only the best things about you" (93). Masuji Ono tells his old friend Matsuda to only talk good about him. Ono asks him to not mention that he was a painter or anything about his past that would jeopardize his daughter's, Noriko, possible marriage. Noriko and her family will be investigated by investigators hired by the possible groom to be in order to see if she meets his expectations. Is it really right to hide who you are because it will benefit you in some way? This is what Ono is doing, which is going against to what he believed before, when he was a kid.

Ono says, "All he's kindled is my ambition" (48). Young Ono tells this to his mother when his father is burning his paintings. What happened to this Ono? Did he let life happen? Ono didn't like his father telling him that being an artist is something he shouldn't be proud of. So why has he turned so much like his father? Ono is lost because he is contradicting what he believed at first. What happened to the young Ono? Where did his beliefs go?


Loyalty

“There are some who would say it is people like myself who are responsible for the terrible things that happened to this nation of ours. As far as I am concerned, I freely admit I made many mistakes. I accept that much of what I did was ultimately harmful to our nation, that mine was part of an influence that resulted in untold suffering for our own people. I admit this. You see, Dr Saito, I admit this quite readily.” In this quote, Masuji Ono admits that he took part in leading Japan into World War II by being patriotic. He was loyal to his country as his pupils are loyal to him. Loyalty is a major theme throughout this book. It is loyalty that led Ono to paint patriotic paintings that liberated the people to support this movement towards war. It is also through this loyalty that split the generations, whether it was unintentional or not. The younger generation despises the elders for destroying the reputation and prosperity of their country.

It seems to me that this book questions the nature of loyalty. How loyal must one be? According to this book, the extent of loyalty has caused incidents. The first is the influence of war, even though Japan shouldn’t have gotten involved. Many people from the young generation believe a war was pointless and that Japan shouldn’t have been involved. The second is the split between the generations. The younger generation resent the older generation for influencing the war. If it weren’t for the many paintings of misleading patriotism, Japan would have never joined the war. Thus, Japan would not have lost its prestige and honor. The third is that Ono has lost the respect of Mr. Kuroda due to the fact that Mr. Kuroda blames Ono for causing the war.

Ono's Description of Setting

One thing that makes the book very detailed and interesting is the fact that we can see the setting where things take place. Why does the Ishiguro give so much detail about the setting?

In almost every scene that he describes he always gives a lot of detail about the setting. The very first scene in the book is a description of Ono’s house and the garden.

He also starts April 1949 with a description of nature. “Clusters of new houses have appeared towards the foot of the hill down which I have just come. And further along the riverbank, where a year ago there was only grass and mud, a city corporation is building apartment blocks for future employees” (99).

He also gives a very detailed description of Kuroda’s home. “Kuroda did not live in a good quarter. I walked for some time through little alleys filled with dilapidated lodging houses before coming to a concrete square resembling the forecourt of a factory” (109).

He even gives a detailed description on page 116 of the Kasuga Park Hotel (the place where Noriko had her miai). It is very interesting that they are having a very special Japanese ceremony in a place that has been influenced by western style.

He also gives a very detailed description of Kawabe Park.

In the beginning his describes his house because it is a place of great importance to him. He describes Kuroda’s home because it was a time where he was rejected by a pupil. He describes Noriko’s miai because a daughter’s wedding ceremony is very important to a father. Kawabe Park also has had a huge impact on his life.

I think that Ishiguro gives detailed description of several places because they are all of the places that have strongly impacted Ono’s life. I thought of it as a visual experience. Ono is an artist. He is a visual person. He will obviously describe with detail the setting to the places that have had major impacts in his life.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York. Vintage International. 1989.



Mentors and Family

Teachers have a great impact on his students whether it is teaching about a certain subject or about life. They are the ones who bring about the best in others and through dedication make students understand, but also admire such people. There’s always that one person that provides more than just a student-teacher relationship. They teach not only from what they are supposed to teach, but also from their own experiences. They make a lesson more than just a boring class. They make the world seem real.
It’s weird how people can inherit thing from other people without being a relative or just a mere acquaintance. Mentors, as well as teachers, provide comfort and wise advice that are beneficial to his students. It isn’t only that mentors teach people, but create an atmosphere in which the pupils admire and try to imitate. Such people are there to enhance the learning of others and see to it that they not only carry with them their teachings, but also to leave a mark in his pupil’s lives that’ll forever change their perspective on things. Ono makes it precise when he says, “ Certain traits will tend to survive, like some shadow of that influence, to remain with one throughout one’s life” (137). It just shows how teachers influence their students through the simplest things. It may depend on how the teacher or mentor teach, but also their characteristics and behavior in and out of classrooms. Students in turn, try to inherit the way a teacher acts or even talks. This “resemblance” just shows that teachers are inspirational and motivate his students to persevere.
Also, Ono makes a comparison between his grandson Ichiro and his son Kenji stating, “ I confess I take a strange comfort from observing children inherit these resemblances from other members of the family…” (136). Ono’s quote can be compared how people inherit certain traits fro their mentors/teachers. From gaining the ability to speak, walk, teach, or even act are all “traits “ that are not inherited through a transformation of the pupil trying to convince himself that he can be similar. While children gain physical traits from family members, pupils gain internal traits that change their way of thinking and are determined to stick to the philosophy of their teachers in a way that they were taught. With all this students’ gain an advantage and a confidence that lead them to do well in whatever they are doing.

Kazuo, Ishiguro. An Artist of the Floating World. New York, NY: Vintage Books. 1989. Print.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

"Sensei Ono"?

In the Japanese culture artists are very respected and even venerated. Masuji Ono, the main character of the novel the Artist of the Floating by Kazuo Ishiguro, is the "art teacher" but mostly the "Sensei" to his pupils. This is the respect that Ono won over the years with his work as artist. In the first chapter "October 1948", the author Ishiguro shows an instance when Kuroda, star pupil of Ono, says,

"I have suspected for some time that Sensei was unaware of the high regard in which he is held by people in this city. Indeed, as the instance he has just related amply illustrates, his reputation has now spread beyond the world of art, to all walks of life. But how typical of Sensei's modest nature that he is unaware of this." Ishiguro, 25

This is a very moving speech made with conviction and love for his instructor. Ishiguro, the author, mentions it because it supposed to show that Ono felt proud of the fact that he was respected even though he was a very modest person. The Migi-Hidari, "pleasure district" for Ono and his pupils, was the place where artist enjoyed themselves discussion issues. This was the place to be be if you wanted to be considered respectable.

Ono's pupils called him "Sensei" and were proud to be part of the circle in at Migi-Hidari. They listened attentively to Ono when he taught them lessons. At one point Ono tells them about the instance he decided to be disloyal to his to master Takeda in order to advance and he says,

"The Takeda experience taught me never to follow the crowd blindly, but to consider carefully the direction in which I was being pushed. And if there's one thing I've tried to encourage you all to do, it's been to rise above the sway of things. To rise above the undesirable and decadent influences that have swamped us and have done so much to weaken the fibre  of  our nation these past ten, fifteen years." Ishiguro, 73

This is almost a prophetic statement given by Masuji Ono encouraging to his pupils to do as he once did. The story of Ono shows that all his pupils have decided to question their master. The war has surely changed them but it is not only that. Ono and his pupils no longer get together to discuss anything. Kuroda, the one who gave the passionate speech about Ono know evades his teacher. Why is this happening? We know the war definitely separated them and changed the pupils, but why would Kuroda evade Sensei Ono if he only encouraged him to show his patriotism at the time of war with his art?  Why would Ono have to hide his art now?


I find all these aspect of the start of the novel very intriguing.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

War is Hell
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War is Hell

Years have passed since the artist Masuji Ono retired from his beloved ability to paint and left behind not only that ambition, but also relived himself of his past. After World War 2, Japan was in devastation and had little or not much to gain, due to the lives and resources that were consumed to provide Imperial Japan with a strong empire to conquer the territory around the Pacific. Yet, many things before and after have affected Mr. Ono after the war and due to this, he lost his devotion to art.
Perhaps of all the things that changed Mr. Ono was his father’s willingness to stop him from becoming an artist, since, in his father’s eyes, artists’, “ live in squalor and poverty” (46). It was due to this negativity that brought Mr. Ono to a rather surprising and disobedient conclusion. One believes that after such a statement from a parent, especially an honorable Japanese father, a child would stop and do anything to honor his parents and please them. It’s this Japanese philosophy that an obedient child would most likely live better off and not do anything else to make his parents annoyed. Yet, Ono makes a strong statement to his mother by saying that even though his father, not wanting his son to be a weak and depraved artist, wouldn’t agree to his art all he did was, “ kindled [his] ambition” (48). This shows that, even before the war for Japan in the 1930’s, Ono had a special gift to use for art. Not only that, but also, Japan was expanding and making a name on the global stage. Everything changed though after the war came through. Art for Imperial Japan and Ono won’t be the same, depicting heroes on the front and even the landscape would change.
Banzai! A common Japanese battle cry used to honor the Emperor before a suicidal charge that, in the long run, brought nothing but destruction to Imperial Japan and to Ono’s family. It’s during the war, that Ono had the most anxiety and was beginning to fall apart on his artistic ability to even continue on with his work. The novel provides details to show that how devastating the war had affected not only Ono, but also his surroundings and neighbors. Every Japanese family gave up their best young men to fight and bring back honor to their families after their deaths. Yet, the people and land, in other words, Ono’s world turned from a beautiful and wealthy Japan, to a war-torn landscape full of debris and rubble. Yet, the most devastating thing was the death of his son. Due to Japan’s conquest of Manchuria during and after the war, the Soviet Communists decided to invade due to its declaration of war. Here, Ono’s son, Kenji, died after a suicidal banzai attempt to charge at the enemy Soviets, but was killed during the battle. Same as with other families, I’m pretty sure such a deadly blow to Ono, seeing that Kenji as his only son, had some kind of influence on his retirement of art. Ono, yet, retains a peaceful mindset and sets off to try to leave such things as his father’s negative attitude towards new things such as the art that gave Ono an opportunity to pursue something he enjoyed and was good at.
If it weren’t for the war, Ono might’ve still practiced art and perhaps teached others, He could’ve done something about his love for that ability and continue to enjoy what he does best. Yet, life isn’t always fair and Ono lived through the struggles that life tosses to him day by day.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York. Vintage International. 1989.

An Auction of Prestige

The idea I want to focus on is found at the very beginning of the book when Ishiguro writes, “We are not interested in receiving anything beyond the quoted price. What we mean to do from here on is to conduct an Auction of Prestige” (Ishiguro 9). The setting is that Akira Sugimura – a very wealthy, respected and influential man – wants to sell his huge property. He does not want to give his beautiful to just any person. He is not interested in the person that offers the most money but instead in the person that most it. That’s why he sends out the message that he is having an auction of prestige and not of money.

In order to know what he means by this, we have to understand the definition of prestige. According to the dictionary, prestige is the reputation or influence gained form success, achievement, rank, or other favorable attributes. Basically it would be like making a good name for you. I find this idea of an auction of prestige very interesting because it is not something we are used to. Usually in an auction, we give the object to the person that can pay the most money for it – whether they deserve it or not. This is how the stereotype that money equals happiness is created. The stereotype seems to be true because people that have the money to buy themselves whatever they want are not going to think twice about getting what they want; even if in the process you might be taking away that object from somebody that really needs it but just can’t afford it. This is why I really like the idea of an auction of prestige. It puts aside the money boundaries.

My question is which is more reasonable to have; a regular auction or an auction of prestige? Good argument can be made for both sides. For example, when arguing for an auction of prestige we can say how money won’t be an issue that determines if you really deserve something or not, instead it will be your actions and what you have done in the past. This makes it fair for every person interested in the house to have an equal chance as long as they are good people. The counter argument for that is, who is judging and determining that you are worthy of living in that house. So Akira Sugimura, the owner of the house, and his family are using their own judgments to decide who can buy the house.

I don’t only want to bring attention to the fact of this action but to the fact that the author starts off the book with this idea. I see it as the author making his main character/narrator make it clear from the beginning the reasons why he lives in a big and nice house. He is not there because he is very wealthy and made a mansion out of his property. Instead he is there because one of the most influential men of his time thought he deserved to live there. Maybe this is an important fact that will come back again later in the book. The idea that he earned his right to be where he is now because of who he is and not for how much money he has.

Ichiro’s Balance

Throughout the entire plot of An Artist of the Floating World, Kazuo Ishiguro forces the readers to put on Masuji Ono’s shoes through the descriptive detail that is packed into this book. Each narration and dialog I feel as though those people are actually surrounding me. I see the aging skin of myself (Ono) through a mirror, the newly formed beauty of Setsuko, and the “cobwebs and mould” in the “remains of Sugimara’s garden corridor.” (p.12) But the thing that stands out to me the most is the “heavy thump [that] made the whole house shake” that caught Ono’s attention. With a worried and cautioned look on Ono’s face, he quickly rushes into the dining room. He is taken aback by the darkness and waits until his eyes are able to adjust to it. After a while he notices that nothing is there. Before he gets a chance to turn around and leave, he hears two more bangs. He realizes that the noise is coming from the adjacent room. The moment he enters, he notices his grandson, Ichiro, galloping on a wooden horse.
Throughout this scene, Ishiguro displays Ichiro’s mature, demanding and independent character. He does this through descriptive detail and demanding diction. When Ichiro noticed he was being watched, he “angrily turned” to shout, “Can’t you see I’m busy?” (p. 29) Soon after, he tells his grandfather that he couldn’t play with him at the moment in a screeching way. After a while, he allows his grandfather to watch him as long as he wasn’t disturbed. Ichiro is descriptively described as being watchful and moody showing how serious he was about his drama. His demanding diction shows how his difference with other characters. While others are scared to say the wrong thing to someone, Ichiro speaks his mind freely.
He stands out from the rest of the characters because unlike him, everyone seems like their life is being drained. The other characters seem as though they don’t have any meaning left. Setsuko is being brain washed by her husband Suichi, Ono is focusing too much on what used to be, and Noriko is concentrating too much on her current marriage arrangements. Ichiro’s eagerness to repeat English while pretending to be Lone Ranger shows how he is ready to adapt to other cultures and is open-minded. He is eager to go watch Godzilla while the others aren’t that enthusiastic about it. His dissimilarity with his family balances them. He makes up for the lack of enthusiasm in his family.
Something that I notice is a reoccurring object is the veranda. Setsuko and Ono are always out there relaxing. I believe they find that place to be their sanctum to retreat from their stress. There has to be reason why that place is their place to retreat. Is it because they grew up in a house that had a veranda as well? Maybe it’s because the veranda brings them closer with nature.
In the first section that we read, Noriko’s previous marriage arrangement is an issue that was unsolved. The sisters have suspicions of the arrangement because they believed it was a “love match.” (p.18) They assume Ono had something to do with it or at least knows why it didn’t work out as planned. He claims that he knows nothing about what went wrong. On page 53, Noriko comes across Jiro Miyake. She talks to him like they were friends without having any arrangements made earlier. This says something about her character because she acts like nothing happened even though she was in love with him. Does this mean that she is strong willed and won’t let a bad incident keep her from being happy or does this mean she keeps things bottled up inside so well that it looks like she is happy?

Father to Daughter

Father to Daughter
As a child I grew up in a household where everybody (the children ) was treated more or less the same. We got the same food, the same education, even the same punishments mostly. In Kazuo Ishiguras novel, “An Artist of the Floating World”, Sensei Ono-sans two daughters, Noriko and Setsuko don’t seem to have had it quite the same as I did.
Its apparent from the beginning of the novel that Noriko and Setsuko are two very different people with two very different personalities. The very way they carry themselves and speak is evidence to the fact. “Im relieved you’ve come home at last Setsuko. You’ll take father off my hands a little”(13). Though Noriko says this to her elder sister in a playful manner the comment still puts Setsuko in an uncomfortable position. The very thought of insuting her father is unnerving to her. After every retort Ono-san gives it seems like Setsuko responds with “forgive me “ or “please excuse me”. The apologies implement the idea that she is scared of her father and of what he might do if her were to become insulted by her. Where as it seems Noriko is the exact opposite of her sister. She is outspoken and impulsive. “Ill have enough to do without father to look after.” (14). What was it or what is it that made these two sisters who grew up in the same household behave so differently from one another? I believe that Setsuko was obviously treated differently from her sister, probably much more harsh and that is what has given her such a submissive attitude and demeanor. Noriko even says to Setsuko “Theres no need to be afraid of him any more. He’s much more gentle and domesticated.” (13) What is it she is so afraid of?
Ultimately Noriko is the obvious favorite which is evident through her almost arrogant speech, while Setsuko had a much harder time. She was as the elder daughter the guinea pig of Ono-sans rage and Noriko being the second got the more compassionate of their father.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Marriage

Marriage is brought up in the first chapter of the book many times in the first chapter. It is something that keeps coming up. The first time that it was brought up. It was on page 17 where it talks about Setsuko. Setsuko is the daughter of the artist, Masuji Ono. Masuji tells the reader about the worry that he and his wife have for his daughter. The worry is that she wouldn't make a good wife. In this culture we can see that Marriage is a big thing/deal. It is something a woman waits for and looks forward to. Masuji Ono noticed his daughter's beauty while she visited him. She noticed that was getting better looking. He states "Setsuko is becoming better looking as she gets older." With this sentence we see that beauty is something that leads up to marriage. The beauty of the woman attracts and determines marriage. He then states, " In her youth, her mother and I had worried that she was too plain to make a good marriage." By Setsuko not having beauty, she lacks other characteristics and gets held back by not having that beauty. Therefore her marriage won’t be as good as others, her parents theorized.  This insecurity has made this girl turn out “so shy” and “retiring”.  Setsuko is now in her thirties and married but is finally “flowering” according to her mother.
Her sister, Noriko has been engaged and has almost gotten married. Noriko is described as “have grown up so headstrong”. Which in a way can be stated as prepared for marriage. Marriage has excited Noriko and disappointed her. Noriko’s engagement was called off unexpectedly. Which leads to Setsuko to wonder and question a lot of things. Marriage is one thing that they want and can’t wait for. But after it wounded Noriko the way it did, Setsuko wonders what other things aren’t loyal. She questions her father and implies that he knows something when he doesn’t. He tells the reader, “that was not the first time Setsuko had questioned me in such a way concerning last year”. Setsuko has questioned her father before implying he knows something about marriage and engagements. She questions about marriage. This incident has left Setsuko questioning anything that comes her way. I sense fear in the way the author has her ramble about the incident that happened to Noriko. The way she makes up excuses for the family that called off the engagement.

This topic is brought up again on page 52, Noriko states about how she has encountered Jiro Miyake. She expresses her feelings about the withdrawal. She states that she thinks she wasn’t pretty enough and that maybe when she was engaged; the family had already wanted to withdraw. This event has scarred Noriko, in the fear of not getting married, which seems to be very important in this culture. It has made a woman who was once so “headstrong” be insecure of her beauty and value. Noriko feels that she wasn’t pretty enough or that she didn’t meet the requirements that Jiro Miyake and his family had for a wife. Set suko has gone all the way and married. Both started the same but went different paths. Both paths were teh same but different endings occurred. They were both raised the same way but now one is married and the other stuck at home.

Marriage is a serious, serious business. In this book it shows the common interest of daughters and female characters wanting to get married. A woman dreams of the day that she is being taken by her husband and she knows that she is given the opportunity to do her job on Earth which in this culture is believed to give birth, to reproduce. Time has changed this by making woman independent and successful without the need of the male. Women are now educated and can do anything. The female’s job is not to reproduce but to help this world find a way to extend the time of existence for humans.


Work Cited
Ishiguro,Kazuo. An Artist of the Floating World. New York: Vintage Books, 1986. Print

Honor, Respect and perspective on being a Artist

Why do the younger generation harbor bitterness towards their elders?

A) The War
B) Traditional Roles in a Japanese household

To get a feel for the great, empire of Japan one must investigate what made it so great. During the 1930’s Japan was coming out of a great depression and so that meant the country had to keep stimulating its economy by means: occupation of other countries and war. The nobles were getting rich and commoners had jobs; all was well in Japan.  Not only that but Japan’s culture was thriving again as it did during the beginning of the 19th century.  For instance, the code of Bushido, has influenced Japanese military when it comes to honor.  The code reads if you break a rule then it’s “dishonorable” and you must commit suicide in order to regain your honor.  And as you read Kazuo Ishiguro’s An Artist of The Floating World you hear of the war crimes committed by certain individuals and how they “apologize” to the families who have lost individuals to the war by committing suicide.

Back to the original question however is why do the young people feel they have the right to disrespect their elders?  An obvious reason we can all give is that we’re tired of having our father’s tell us what to do just because they’re the patriarch and that’s how it should be in a traditional Japanese household. For instance when Misuji Ono recalls how his father used to neglect him from being in the reception area because of his “business”, it just made Misuji want to pursue a different career path. Why? Masuji explains, “ I meant I wish to rise above such a life”(47) . Masuji did not think it was right for his father to judge artists for being “weak” , especially go even to say they live in poverty and squalor.  To get a bigger picture I shall explain a little clearer. I’m assuming since Masuji’s father father is a businessman that they’re rich, and to find out that your only son wants to be a artist is bringing shame to the name of the family. So it’s not about Masuji or what he wants but what dad wants for himself and the family name. This creates the bitterness which Masuji transforms to ambition for his future career in painting.

The second reason for the cause of bitterness between generations is the affects of post-war.  Let’s all imagine we live in Japan and we love it;  to see it destroyed by bombs from American planes upsets you a lot in fact it ignites this hate that you eventually vent it towards the older generation who got the country in this mess. This brings us to another recollection of Masuji with the infamous Jiro Miyake. What’s interesting about this encounter is the conversation Miyaki leads about his deceased boss. He justifies that it was right of the president to die in order for the employees to, "... forget our past transgressions and look to the future. It was a great thing our president did"(55). Awful, just terrible how this younger person speaks to defy the choices the elder made during the war - it's all past! But it seems the consequences of the war follow everyone.

To be continued....

Two Different Worlds

When two different countries from opposite sides of the globe combine, the results are quite surprising. Kazuo Ishiguro attempts to create a sort of complex word by both contrasting the different qualities in America and Japan and also mixing them throughout the offspring of Masuji Ono. Ishiguro is able to show the transition from the pre-Pearl Harbor era to the atomic bomb aftermath, showing the slow dilution of Japanese culture.

Masuji Ono, the protagonist of the story, is known to have been a famous artist. When he mets the daughters of Sugimura, who "was unquestionably amongst the city's most respected and influental men."(Ishiguro pg 7), he is praised by them, "He (Sugimura) had much respect for artists. Indeed, he knew of your work."(pg 9) Unsurprisingly, Sugimura was also an artist. What I noticed about this is that the Japanese had much respect for artists. Not the artist that sing hip-hop or appear in Hollywood movies, but the ones who do actual art- paintings, murals, masterpieces.

There is also a deep sense of patriotism and securing the right future for your children and their children. Ono was one the people behind the imperialist movement that eventually pushed Japan into getting involved in WWII. However both Ono and Sugimura, who happened to be very well respected man, have quite a bit of differences with the children of the current times of the latter part of the first hundred pages.

Ono's grandson Icharo, appears to be a weird, complex kid. The first scene where I noticed this was when Icharo was pretending to be a cowboy, which is a crucial part of West American culture at the time the book was written. However, Icharo is also interested in painting. There is a scene where Ono notices that Icharo is a "promising" kid. The problem comes when Ono invites Icharo to the movies- Icharo somehow loses concentration to the point where "the shapes merged and became meaningless."(pg 34) Then all of a sudden he gets up and speaks cowboy. Ishiguro does this to show how the combination of American and Japanese values led to a bit of chaos- the "shapes merged and became meaningless".

After thinking about these two passages, I gathered more clues from my own knowledge. I know that once the the Japanese surrendered to the Americans, they had to give up their military, or most of it. Americans then volunteered to become the Japanese army. That move probably brought in quite a bit of globalization and a strange mix of cultures. I mean, look at Japan today- it's a place full of technology with mass population and a fast-growing economy and population. I probably need to keep reading more, but what I am getting is that Ishiguro wants to use Ono in order to reflect his views on the slow loss of original Japanese culture, that is, before the war.

What is Ono's bridge to the war?

As one reads the very first lines in Kazuo Ishiguro's An Artist of the Floating World, one gets introduced to "the Bridge of Hesitation". The Bridge of Hesitation is brought up a couple of times in the first 100 pages. The Bridge of Hesitation is both a physical place and metaphor, obviously like the metaphor of the floating world in the title. Each time the Bridge of Hesitation is brought up, there are different options at the end of the bridge. In the beginning of the book, the bridge is a gateway to a beautiful house that "stands out from all others nearby" (Ishiguro 7). This beautiful house is the house of the main character Ono. This house is his present. The next time the Bridge of Hesitation gets mentioned is when it's referring to the view of the remains of the old pleasure system. This is the result of World War II. All these remains are the past, because in the present these are actually fixed. So how does this Bridge of Hesitation relate to Ono?

Throughout the novel, Ono jumps around from story to story. He never sticks to one subject or time frame; it is back and forth between past and present. As we know, Ono is the amazing artist in the novel, and he is floating between the worlds of past and present. This Bridge of Hesitation seems to be his path between both worlds. He hesitates to choose one or the other.

In times of war, the means of surrender shows weakness. In order to honor oneself, if defeated in battle, one would have to take up responsibility and commit an act that would bring honor once again, usually suicide. The Japanese actually had a sword to perform this act. This sword is known as the harakiri. The sword is curved and it is supposed to be inserted in one's lower abdomen. Once inside, since the sword is curved, the curved part goes directly towards the heart and punctures it, resulting with a faster death. In a conversation with a prospective son-in-law, he finds that some of the younger generation sees the act of suicide as a waste of men. A soldier already went through a great ordeal, and although he didn't lose his life, he has to live through what he has committed with the rest of his life.

It appears that in some parts, Ono agrees that committing suicide is a waste, but in other parts he doesn't want to agree that the war itself was a waste. I say this because he stopped painting after Japan lost the war. Clearly his grandson's father thought so because in page 32 it mentions, "Father says you had to finish. Because Japan lost the war". The painting got him well known as artist, which is one of the reasons that got him the beautiful house he resides in. It also got him a lot of acknowledgements from different people. It seems the war was a sort of motivation. Either way Ono finds himself in a Bridge of Hesitation. Both endings are either the house or the results of the war, and they both seem to connect. Why is it that he sees suicide as a waste but he doesn't see the war as a waste, even though the loss of it is what makes people commit suicide to maintain their honor? Is there more behind it? How was he involved exactly?

Who is Suichi?

“It’s just that Suichi persists in asking me from time to time about last year, about why the Miyakes should have pulled out like that. He seems convinced I know some secret and that we’re all keeping it from him. I have to continually reassure him that I have no idea myself.” (p.18) Words like “persists”, “convinced”, “secret”, “keeping”, “continually” and “reassure” define the thinking process of Suichi, which illustrates part of his character. He is a character who is mentioned about four times in this book. Although he isn’t mentioned as much as the other major characters, one can easily realize the influential impact Suichi has on others.

One example that portrays this impact is on page 36 when Ono tells Setsuko that before the War, people weren’t allowed to watch American films. Setsuko then tells Ono that Suichi enlightened Ichiro that “American heroes are better for children.” (p. 36) Suichi influences Ichiro to become more open-minded and embrace other cultures other than his own. Now, Ichiro seems intrigued by the idea of idolizing cowboys because they seem better that ninjas and samurais. After constantly accusing Setsuko of knowing a secret about why the Miyakes declined the marriage offers, he persuades her to believe that Ono is withholding information from the rest of the family. When Setsuko questions Ono about any secrets, Ono quickly notices her suspicions. He gets irritated with Suichi because his views are “irrational.” (p.50) His irrational views are causing Ono to resent him because they contradict what he is trying to teach his daughters.

Suichi specifically asserts his mind. He is a profound speaker, according to Setsuko, because she says he “expresses things better.” (49)He is a “physically powerful man”, according to anyone who crosses his path, who is an innocent human being. (p.58) Ono enjoyed listening to the wit of Suichi but ever since the War, Suichi has become bitter. Now, he gets angry during funerals because he believes that his comrades died for “stupid causes.” (p.58)To him, “the greatest cowardice of all” is that the perpetrators who sent out these brave souls to do their dirty work are still alive. (p.58) “Suichi’s generation” have all become bitter because they have experienced these tragic affairs that many brave souls died from. (p.61) These experiences have caused people around him to dislike him to an extent.

I’ve noticed that he hardly ever comes around Setsuko’s family even though he is a very influential man. This is something I couldn’t quite figure out. Is it because he is afraid that people around him will remind him of his fallen comrades? Is it because he despises his country? Or is it because he dislikes Setsuko’s family?

The Balanc

Throughout this scene, Ishiguro displays Ichiro’s mature, demanding and independent character. He does this through descriptive detail and demanding diction. When Ichiro noticed he was being watched, he “angrily turned” to shout, “Can’t you see I’m busy?” (p. 29) Soon after, he tells his grandfather that he couldn’t play with him at the moment in a screeching way. After a while, he allows his grandfather to watch him as long as he wasn’t disturbed. Ichiro is descriptively described as being watchful and moody showing how serious he was about his drama. His demanding diction shows how his difference with other characters. While others are scared to say the wrong thing to someone, Ichiro speaks his mind freely.
He stands out from the rest of the characters because unlike him, everyone seems like their life is being drained. The other characters seem as though they don’t have any meaning left. Setsuko is being brain washed by her husband Suichi, Ono is focusing too much on what used to be, and Noriko is concentrating too much on her current marriage arrangements. Ichiro’s eagerness to repeat English while pretending to be Lone Ranger shows how he is ready to adapt to other cultures and is open-minded. He is eager to go watch Godzilla while the others aren’t that enthusiastic about it. His dissimilarity with his family balances them. He makes up for the lack of enthusiasm in his family.
Something that I notice is a reoccurring object is the veranda. Setsuko and Ono are always out there relaxing. I believe they find that place to be their sanctum to retreat from their stress. There has to be reason why that place is their place to retreat. Is it because they grew up in a house that had a veranda as well? Maybe it’s because the veranda brings them closer with nature.
In the first section that we read, Noriko’s previous marriage arrangement an issue that was unsolved. The sisters have suspicions of the arrangement because they believed it was a “love match.” (p.18) They assume Ono had something to do with it or at least knows why it didn’t work out as planned. He claims that he knows nothing about what went wrong. On page 53, Noriko comes across Jiro Miyake. She talks to him like they were friends without having any arrangements made earlier. This says something about her character because she acts like nothing happened even though she was in love with him. Does this mean that she is strong willed and won’t let a bad incident keep her from being happy or does this mean she keeps things bottled up inside so well that it looks like she is happy?

Bridge of Hesitation

The bridge of hesitation is an image that is repeated three times through out the first one hundred pages. This is the bridge that leads to the ruined pleasure district. At the height of the war, the pleasure district was thriving due to the patriotic feelings that were around at the time. The pleasure district allowed the opportunity for patriotic artists to gather and entertain themselves without going against what their country mandated at the time.

The fate of the pleasure district was tied to the World War and as the War ended and the bombs were dropped, the pleasure district disintegrated. The only connection to it is through the bridge of hesitation. My question is why is this bridge named so?

If I had to make a guess as to why dub the bridge hesitation, I would say that it has to do with the hesitation that the Japanese elders have with being associated as patriots in the time before the war. The reason that they hesitate is that there is a huge cultural gap between the generations of people that were active during the war and those that came after. Both generations are Japanese, but the latter was brought up in America’s shadow, whereas the elders are truly Japanese. In Japanese culture, surrendering was a great shame, in fact the Japanese would charge machine gun lines and get mowed down to preserve their honor, but after the war, the younger generations saw this as a waste of life and resented their losses in the war. The younger generations basically became westernized, while the elders held a grudge.

An example of such grudge is seen when Ichiro is pretending to be a cowboy and Oji asks him if it wouldn’t be more enjoyable to pretend to be a Japanese warrior. Oji doesn’t reprimand Ichiro, but it does appear that he isn’t pleased with his nephew’s fascination with western culture. Oji even tries to distract Ichiro from playing cowboy by having him draw, however this fails and Ichiro is soon galloping away.

Another instance that shows hesitation in being connected to the past arises again when Oji seeks out his old acquaintances to ask them to watch their words if they are ever approached by a detective in regard to his past. Things that might have been considered honorable and brought pride in the past only bring shame in the present.

The bridge of hesitation leads to the wrecked heart of Japanese patriotism, however, so soon after the war, people have mixed feelings and hesitate to remember the past because all that exists in the past is pain. Aside from this, if you take a look at the way the younger people feel about the war and their opinions of their elders, it is easy to see why some might be hesitant to show their true colors.

The Patriotic Artist

Being introduced to Japan in 1948 during the after-affect of the Second World War through the eyes of Masuji Ono, an elite artist, I began to question: what does the war have to do with the overall theme of an artist living in a floating world? Three different aspects from Ono’s life helped me answer that question in which we will see.
As Ono takes us down his time-line to when he was an adolescent receiving business meetings from his father, it’s evident that he inherited his philosophy of the way one must show respect to his elders, and how one must live with dignity from his father’s strict manner. Then as Ono gets older he tells his mother, “I have no wish to find myself in years to come, sitting where Father is now, telling my own son…I wish to rise above such a life”(47). I found this interesting because it takes a soldier to go against his parent’s will being raised in a strict household. I bring this aspect up because after reading this, I recognized the uniqueness and courage of Ono to say such a thing and actually go through with it. I knew from there I would be reading something that would include how Ono would change things in Japan some way. Then once it was obvious that Ono was an artist, I knew he would change Japan with his art and heart of a lion.
Later into the reading when it talked about Ono’s favorite bar the Migi-Hidari, which was back then known as Yagmata’s, and how it gained it’s name from an old veteran soldier, I knew it would have something to do with the how the war tied into the theme of an artist living in a floating world. Ono spoke of this place not possessing “the new spirit of Japan” (64) in which he described as something that beholds loyalty to Communism and the authorities controlling everything. I conclude this because the authorities were trying to run things in Japan and Ono believes that everywhere else possessed this “new spirit” except the Migi-Hidari where as Ono told us, “one could get drunk with pride and dignity” (74). He also told us that this bar was one where only elite artists would gather and converse and use their paintings such as, “The Patriotic Spirit,” (74) as a form of combat to the communism going on in Japan which was before the war. From this Migi-Hidari being “a proud and respectable atmosphere” (75), I see it that these artist are playing the role that soldiers would for earning their county’s independence, but they are fighting for the way they think things should be in Japan, therefore they are patriotic artists in my book.
Another aspect of my finding to how the war ties to artist living in a floating world relates to when Ono worked for his first firm and why he decided to leave to work for the painter and print maker Seiji Moriyama. While Ono worked for Master Takeda’s firm as an artist, he soon was fed up with the “unhappy working conditions” (65) and disloyalty going on in the firm so he decided to leave. I saw this as a patriotic move on his behalf because after he explained to Tortoise what he had learned from working at the firm. Ono told Tortoise while he was strolling around on Tamagawa grounds, “While it was right to look up teachers, it was important to question their authority… To rise above the undesirable and decadent influences that have swamped us and have done so much to weaken the fibre of our nation these past ten years” (73).
With all of theses aspects of Ono’s life, I find it that the war symbolizes what Ono is trying to do as an artist floating in the world not holding his own two feet on the ground, and is literally connected to why the war got started which I believe awaits us later in the novel.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. An Artist Of The Floating World. New York Vintage international:1989