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.