The Kitchen By Banana Yoshimoto Analysis

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The Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto narrates the story of Mikage, who is a single girl without a family. However, she finds a new family with an old friend Yukichi and his mother Eriko. The two are very helpful, and they comfort her and through them, she can overcome the challenges that she has experienced in her life “great people emit light that warms the hearts of those around them. When that light has been put out, a heavy shadow of despair descends.”. She picks up her life, and now she hopes for a better tomorrow. The author of this story, Yoshimoto, used Yukich to develop a theme on the essence of a family and the good role it plays in someone life. Mikage has been used to show the struggle that one goes through without the family. Through …show more content…

According to the Japanese tradition, the kitchen used to be referred as kamado which also means stove. In Japanese culture, there are various saying which involves this word since it's used as a representation of a family or house, for instance, Kamado who Yaburu and Kamado who wake. Literary, this would mean to divide or break a stove; however, its symbolic meaning is to set the family apart. It’s used to emphasize how the kitchen is used as the motif to insinuate a family or a house. The theme symbolism has been used in the whole novel; the author has used Mikage’s love for the kitchen to give a general view that every individual should love and esteem their families. Besides, Mikage’s happiness in the kitchen demonstrates the manner in which the families bring happiness to the people hence alluding to its …show more content…

Consumerism is global; it occur every part of the world. It’s viewed as the social movement where people buy goods in excess just to find pleasure and enjoy life. It happens mostly in the western world though it still happens in the Japan as put forward in the novel. Yoshimoto has dealt with the theme of consumerism in many in many instances; it is more evident in the purchase of the juicer as well as the word processor. It has led Mike to believe that the Japanese have the taste in buying the new things. However, the authors also emphasize on the negative aspect of the consumerism through some of the impacts it has on Japanese tradition and culture. It’s through it that people have no value and the respect for the family. Due to their busy life, they find no time to spend with their families.
Moreover, the context in which this book was written demonstrates that Japan is going through the financial affluence as well as the greatest boom since it is during the postwar period, much of the financial affluence had been caused by the consumerism in Japan. The author seem to be biased on this theme, despite the benefits consumerism has had on Japan, Yoshimoto goes ahead to give it a negative

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