Hiro Jung Essay 3 for Writing Credit Yoshimoto Banana wrote Newlywed in 1991 !

he short story "egins with a man who "oards a train to go home after getting drun# in the e$ening with his friends Howe$er% when the train arri$es to his sto&% the man doesn't get off ( few sto&s later% a homeless man gets on% transforms into a "eautiful foreign woman% and as#s the man a"out his wife% (tsu#o He re&lies that he doesn't feel $ery )onne)ted with her and their marriage !he woman suggests that one o&tion is to ne$er go "a)# home to his wife But after a long intros&e)tion% the man de)ided to get off at the nearest sto& to go "a)# home instead *u)h of the story re$ol$es around how se&arated the man feels from his wife Yet% the reason why he de)ides to remain with his wife des&ite the dis)onne)tion is ne$er e+&li)itly told ,t is only im&lied that the way he sees his wife is )hanged through a reali-ation% "ut this reali-ation is not made )lear either But what the story does &ro$ide are su"tle )lues in the )hara)teri-ation of the main )hara)ter !hus% "y analy-ing him and his relationshi&s in the story% , will argue that the man finally )onne)ts with his wife "e)ause he reali-es that (tsu#o fulfills his life through his two fears. death and un)ertainty /ne of the things the main )hara)ter "e)omes aware of throughout the story is of a &erson's uni$erse% whi)h )an mean the totality of one's life% and &erha&s% an e+&lanation for how one thin#s and a)ts in the &resent !hrough indi$idual e+&erien)es% ea)h &erson de$elo&s an un)ons)ious framewor# that influen)es what he or she will do ne+t !he man first reali-es this through the foreign woman transformed from the homeless man. 0he loo#ed me straight in the eye !he flowers on her "reast trem"led 0he had in)redi"ly thi)# eyelashes% and "ig% round eyes% dee& and distant% whi)h reminded me of the )eiling of the first &lanetarium , e$er saw as a )hild. an entire uni$erse en)losed in a small &la)e 1Banana 2923 /n the other hand% the man initially doesn't thin# that (tsu#o e$en has one% whi)h is indi)ated "y her real narrow eyes% in )ontrast to the foreign woman When he tries to tal# a"out her.

Hiro Jung Essay 3 for Writing Credit 4et's see% what else )an , tell you a"out (tsu#o5 0he sings in the "ath and she tal#s to her stuffed animals when she's dusting them /n the &hone with her friends% she laughs hard at anything they say% and% if it's one of her old &als from high s)hool% they'll go one for hours !han#s to (tsu#o's ways% we ha$e a ha&&y home ,n fa)t% sometimes it's so mu)h fun at home that it ma#es me want to &u#e 1Banana 2693 Hen)e% she is someone who )ares dee&ly for a ha&&y life at home% and li$es a relati$ely easygoing and assured life But her hus"and sees this as "eing na7$e and utterly la)#ing de&th and seriousness in her life ,n addition. Well% a)tually% sometimes , feel li#e we li$e in totally different worlds% es&e)ially when she goes on and on a"out the minutiae of our daily li$es% anything and e$erything% and a lot of it's meaningless to me , mean% what's the "ig deal5 0ometimes , feel li#e ,'m li$ing with the 8uintessential housewife , mean% all she tal#s a"out is our home 1Banana 29:3 Be)ause she seems to "e li$ing her life non)halantly% he )annot relate to her at all% and how she )an )are so mu)h a"out their home !he reason he $iews her in this manner is "e)ause there is tension in his own life due to two things. death and un)ertainty ;or one thing% there were signifi)ant deaths in his life &rior to marrying (tsu#o Before mo$ing to !o#yo at age 12% his mother had &assed away 1Banana 29:3 !here is also an instan)e where he remem"ers the trem"ling shoulders of his younger )ousin when she )ried "e)ause her fa$orite )at had died 1Banana 29:3 !hese memories ma#e him aware of the seriousness and the suffering of life% and ma#e him resent his wife who seems to li$e unaware of them ,n addition% he e+&erien)es fear in the un)ertainty of his future Be)ause he is a trans&lant from other &la)es% he doesn't 8uite feel at home% and feels alienated from the )ity 1Banana 2693 !hus% when the foreign woman as#s him if he thought of trains as a safe "o+% he re&lies. (s a safe "o+ that ta#es me where , need to go% and then home5 < 0ure , do% or ,'d "e too s)ared to get on the train in the morning = ,'d ne$er #now where ,'d end u& 1Banana 29:3

Hiro Jung Essay 3 for Writing Credit !herefore% he is afraid of ma#ing de)isions he is not sure of (nd when the foreign woman "rings u& how she thin#s of trains as an endless ride% he admits. !his "eing sitting ne+t to me felt somehow familiar% li#e the s)ent of a &la)e% "efore , was "orn% where all the &rimal emotions% lo$e and hate% "lended in the air , also )ould sense that , would "e in danger if , got too )lose >ee& inside% , felt timid% e$en s)ared% not a"out my own drun#enness or fear that my mind was &laying tri)#s on me% "ut the more "asi) sensation of en)ountering something mu)h larger than myself% and feeling immeasura"ly small and insignifi)ant "y )om&arison 4i#e a wild animal would when )onfronted "y a larger "east% , felt the urge to flee for my life 1Banana 29:3 ;or him% the fear un)ertainty is something &rimal and is dee&ly rooted in his &ast !herefore% he also resents (tsu#o for "eing assured a"out their domesti) life !hese two 8ualities haunt the man's uni$erse% and &re$ent him from )onne)ting with his wife But when he imagines himself "eing gone fore$er% he is a"le to see things in a different light% in)luding his wife. (nd when , "egan to wonder what would ha&&en if , ne$er went "a)# to that station% the whole image in my mind too# on the 8uality of a haunting s)ene from an old mo$ie% one fraught with meaning (ll the li$ing "eings there suddenly "e)ame o"?e)ts of my affe)tion 1Banana 2913 When he imagines her "eing inde)isi$e o$er the sham&oo she wants to "uy% he still sees this as meaningless% "ut at the same time% he reali-es that this is her uni8ue way of li$ing a meaningful life He )an tell that% she's wal#ing lightly% though slowly% and drin#ing in the air of this small town 1Banana 29@3 ;urthermore% he reali-es. /ur house is (tsu#o's uni$erse% and she fills it with small o"?e)ts% all of her own )hoosing 0he &i)#s ea)h of them as )arefully as she did that "ottle of sham&oo (nd then (tsu#o )omes to "e someone who is neither a mother nor a wife% "ut an entirely different "eing ;or me% the "eautiful% allAen)om&assing we" s&un "y this )reature is at on)e so &olluted% yet so &ure that , feel )om&elled to gra" on to it , am terrified "y it "ut find myself una"le to hide from it (t some &oint , ha$e "een )aught u& in the magi)al &ower she has 1Banana 29@3

Hiro Jung Essay 3 for Writing Credit ,n this &assage% he dis)o$ers (tsu#o's own so&histi)ated uni$erse% when he had thought that she was de$oid of de&th !he meti)ulous manner in whi)h she li$es is &re)isely the result of her own e+&erien)es and defines her uni8uely as a &erson ;rom a 8uintessential housewife% she )omes to "e someone mu)h more uni8ue and interesting (nd he finds that this dis)o$ery fulfills his own uni$erse as well Be)ause of the &ure intentions with whi)h (tsu#o li$es her life% it &ro$ides a way for the man to di$ert himself away from the suffering in his &ast = he )an see a &ossi"ility of li$ing a meaningful life alongside (tsu#o (t the same time% the )ertainty that she li$es her life allows him to o$er)ome his fear of un)ertainty He does not #now what will "e)ome of him and (tsu#o "e)ause they ha$e "een married for only one month But he already feels alienated and there is an element of un)ertainty in what will "e)ome of them >es&ite this% he wants to sti)# with (tsu#o and o$er)ome the un)ertainty "e)ause the assuredness of (tsu#o resonates with him !hus% ha$ing dis)o$ered (tsu#o's way of life% the man also dis)o$ers that it fulfills what he &re)isely la)#s% a means for a meaningful life and )ertainty Hen)e% the man's reali-ation from the en)ounter with the foreign woman is twofold. the man )omes to reali-e what he la)#s in his uni$erse = a means of li$ing a meaningful life and )ertainty in the way he li$es his lifeB at the same time% he dis)o$ers (tsu#o's uni$erse = a meti)ulously wo$en we" that he himself is a &art of whi)h allows him to o"tain meaning in life% whi)h also relie$es him of his fear of un)ertainty ,n essen)e% he is a dis&la)ed "ody without anywhere to )all home What he reali-es is that what (tsu#o &ro$ides is e+a)tly this. a home (nd des&ite its shallow a&&earan)e% this is e+a)tly what he needs !hus in Newlywed% Yoshimoto Banana &aints a dee&ly intros&e)ti$e &i)ture of married life in Ja&an that de&i)ts the inter&lay "etween "oredom and affe)tion ( good reading% "ut not su)h a )hallenging story to inter&ret on its own , thin# you )ould "e a "it more am"itious% and there's room to go dee&er with your inter&retation here also "y integrating the $ision of death

Hiro Jung Essay 3 for Writing Credit Clarity of themeCthesis and argument Coheren)e and effe)ti$eness of writing ,nsight and a)uity ,ntegration of literary sour)es !/!(4 9 1: 2 9 36

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Hiro Jung Essay 3 for Writing Credit

Wor#s Cited GYoshimoto Banana% GNewlywedGG The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Literature Ed J !homas Himer and Ian C Dessel New Yor#. Colum"ia JK% @:11 N &ag Krint