A Family Supper

Man vs Man

Father vs Son

Lack of communication

Subtopic

Clash of mentalities

Modern vs Traditional

Kikuko vs Father

Hiding her plans to leave the house

Was expected to tend her fathers house

Hiding smoking habits from father

Man vs Society

Kikuko vs Society

Subjected to gender roles

Expected to tend her fathers house

Expected to perform domestic duties

Watanabe vs Society

Considered disgracefully to society

Ashamed to face society

Harakiri

Killed himself and family due to the lack of honour

Man vs Self

Narrator vs Self

Conflicted with the future

Debates whether or not he should Go back to USA
or stay in Japan

Grieving over mothers death

Does not publicly show his deeper emotions

Lost cause in America

Recently broke up with girlfriend (Vicki)

Father vs Self

Regrets his choices as a parent

Choices regarding his son

Wanted to spend time

Couldn't due to business ventures

Choices regarding his daughter

Daughter is going to leave the house and country

Depression

Loneliness

Kikuko goes to university in another city

Son lives in the United States

Grief

Death of Wife

Failure as a businessman

Closing of business firm

Business partner died

Kikuko vs Self

Unsure if leaving the country is a good idea

Self-inflicted habits from smoking

Watanabe vs Self

Lost his honour as a man

Could not face himself in disgrace

Narrator

Social

Uncustomary

Independent

Grieved

Contradictory

Father

Social

Depressed

Lonely

Respected

Traditional

Physical

Formidable looking

Resembled a politician

Chou En-lai

"Furious black eyebrows"

Large jaw line

Mother

Social

Humble

Ate 'Fugu' for well respected friend

Leading cause to her death

Kikuko

Social

Independent

Adventurous

Emotional

Reassuring

Unsure

Physical

Smoked in secret

Watanabe

Social

Respected

Emotional

Considered a 'nobel' man

Traditional

Suicidal

Killed family because of disgrace

Grief

Father

Spent time by himself

Son left to America

Kikuko left to pursue academic success in another city

Narrator

Left Japan abruptly after mothers death

Loneliness

Depicted by the Father

Wishes he raised his children to support one another

Reflects on his past experiences

Time in navy

Business firm

Wanting to join the Air Force

Identity

Generational divide

Modern

Kikuko

Wants to move away from Japan

Smokes

Uncommon from traditional concepts

Narrator

Grew up absent to cultural values

Moved away from Japan

Traditional

Mother and Father

Business firm fell

Symbolizes the fall of tradition

Forced concepts of tradition on children

Led to the rejected of cultural values

Watanabe

Wanted to succeed an live with honour

After firm collapse lived in disgraced

Killed himself due to the struggles of living in disgrace

Detachment

Father

Did not inquire about sons decision

Wanted son to say with him

Speaks little to the son

Kikuko

Keeps secrets from family

Plans of moving to the United States

Differences in attitude

Speaks with emotion to brother

Awkward timid interactions with her father

Narrator

Speaks little his father years after the death of his mother

Death

White

Symbolizes the death of a past soul

Mother found roaming near well

Spiritual form

Afterlife

Purity

Changing the state of one's soul

Eating Fugu

Mothers death

Stereotypes

Gender Roles

Men work

Father works at a business firm

Women tend to children and the home

Expected to perform domestic duties

Tradition and Herritage

Family Supper

Significant to Japanese culture

Eating Fugu

Mothers death

Physical

Japan

Kamakura district

A military dictatorship

Garden

Mysterious

Ominous atmosphere

Well

Haunted

Gothic Symbolism

Home

Tokyo

Infused with strictness and tradition

Room with Battleship

Symbolizes fathers involvement in war

Osaka

Kikuko goes to Osaka University

Time

End of the twentieth century

Post WWII

California

Narrator moves to California after mothers death

Social

Clash of mentalities

Father and the mother come from a traditional standpoint

Children are distanced from cultural customs