Analysis Of A Family Supper By Kaguro

“A Family Supper” by Kazuo Ishiguro is a short story about a japanese family sitting down having dinner together for the first time in years, the mother of this family died a little while ago from eating a poisonous fish. The symbols of this story are the poisonous fish, the dim lights all throughout the house, and the well.
Firstly, the poisonous fish is a symbol of the mysterious swift but sudden death that his mother suffered from trying to cook for a woman whom they give no further details other than her name. The fact that the process of cleaning the fish is so dangerous and the people continue to eat it makes the reader wonder why they are willing to take the risk of death. The fish is mysterious because one wrong move on the

preparers part and they could be killed, it is also mysterious because only the mother died, what happened to the lady she was preparing it for?
Another symbol in the story is the pale lights in the described rooms of the house. This is a symbol because in literature dim light means there is something mysterious or evil about a character or a place. Half of the father’s face is obscured which leads the reader to furthermore believe that there is something suspicious about his character. Throughout the short story, the father is withdrawn from his children and only talks about when they are going to return home permanently. The lights in the house also represents how lonely and empty the house is with only the father living in it.
Finally, the well is a symbol of the mother and relief from their father’s oppression. The sister only shows her personality when she is by the well with her brother and while inside of the house, rarely speaks and is very obedient. Also, while they are outside the boy tells his sister of the “ghost” he saw when he was younger which he later finds out is his mother, though she was still alive when he saw her. The well is also a symbol of the stories mysterious nature because the significance of it isn’t indicated and it shows up without any forewarning.
In conclusion, the symbols of the short story are the well, the dim lighting throughout the house, and the poisonous fish that killed the mother of the family. These symbols help reveal the mysterious theme because they all have mysterious aspects about them and bring suspicion to certain characters.