Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen
“Kitchen” by Banana Yoshimoto is a highly successful book winning major awards such as 1987 Kaien Best Newcomer Artists. Whether you are interested in Japanese literature or not, you will certainly find this a worthwhile read. It deals with issues that that we can face in our own daily lives and the way it is written is also pleasant.
I have read this book recently and enjoyed it very much. In my speech I will be particularly talking about how the writer approaches to transgender identity and death in “Kitchen”.
I want start with how the writer approaches to transgender identity. I will start with how the writer approaches to transgender identity. I want to talk about how she is written and how do the others react to her. When we are first
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For Mikage, Eriko is a savior. After Mikage’s grandmother’s death, Eriko takes her in and she practically helps her through it. Mikage learns that Eriko is transgender just after meeting her and after the initial disbelief, she accepts her as she is. This situation is never a matter of discussion again. Eriko’s son Yuuichi is also similar. He is already used to the situation. He has no problem calling Eriko “mother” and referring to her as “she” and he is quite supportive. Throughout the book, we actually do not encounter any discrimination against her. This could be intentional so as to portray a healthy LGBTQ+ person or it could be to show that not all LGBTQ+ people face discrimination in their daily lives.
I want to continue my speech with talking about how death is written in the book. In Banana Yoshimoto’s writing death is sudden. We end the first chapter with a heartwarming scene and dreams of a hopeful future. The following chapter starts with a line telling us someone has passed away. Instead of giving us a detailed death scene, the writer opts for a sudden reveal and lets us handle the situation. Isn’t it the same in real life? There is no way of predicting what will happen next. The writer skillfully creates this mood of helplessness in her
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553 Words | 3 PagesYūichi, an acquaintance of Mikage's grandmother, invites her to live with him and his "mother" named Eriko. Eriko, the owner of a gay bar, is a beautiful "mother," a man who became a woman after the death of his wife. When she first meets Eriko, Mikage is stunned by Eriko's sophistication and beauty: "Hair that rustled like silk to her shoulders; the deep sparkle of her long, narrow eyes; well-rounded lips, a nose with a high, straight bridge--the whole of her gave off a marvelous light that seemed to vibrate with life force" (17). Mikage thinks that she does not "look human" (17). Eriko plays the same role as such artificial motifs as the refrigerator and blanket: she is not a traditional domestic mother, nor is she biologically a mother, she has a nurturing quality in that she provides Mikage with comfort and a feeling of being at
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