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.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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