Summary Of Yoko Ogawa's Old Mrs. J

When diving into the mysterious world of the uncanny the utilization of differing elements can contribute in making literature eerie. Freud states that the use of repetition of an object, number, etc and additionally the use of severed limbs can be a component in making a story uncanny. In the short story “Old Mrs. J”, by Yoko Ogawa, Ogawa uses this ideal and it serves its purpose in inciting an unsettling story. Throughout the story the use of produce is a recurring element as well as the presence of hand-shaped carrots.
The short story quickly gives the reader an uncanny feeling when the kiwis from the garden are described in a perturbing way, “The kiwis in particular grew so thick that on moonlit nights when the wind was blowing, the whole hillside would tremble as though covered with a swarm of dark

The repetition of the kiwis throughout the story add to the uncanniness of it all as it is unknown what their importance is, but upon further investigation it can be noted that kiwis are often used in bone maintenance and rehabilitation due to their high levels of vitamin K and calcium. Kiwis also aid in preventing osteoporosis which keeps bones from becoming fragile. In Old Mrs J’s case the protagonist writer describes the tough and strong massages she was able to give despite how fragile she should be due to her old age.(insert quote about massage here). The old gardener has a supernatural amount of strength, such as carrying the sizably voluminous of kiwis, and perhaps this is why she kept such a substantial amount of kiwis. The consumption of kiwis is Old Mrs J’s attempt at remaining young and strong.
Throughout the story Old Mrs. J brings different items from her garden to the protagonist writer which seems like a normal neighborly thing to do, “As she left, she gave me five peppers she had just picked