Analysis Of Kogakoro By Huston

After reading Huston’s “Kokoro,” I believed that Yasako is also a “steel chrysanthemum.” Houston describes public opinion toward traditional Japanese women as “malleable, quiet and unobtrusive.” Easily influenced, silent and modest are tags that the masses put on them. However, the truth is that her mother and other Japanese women have though and strong mind. In the play, various events show that Yasako is not the traditional Japanese woman that the public used to believe. In the fact, Yasako’s heart is strong and steeled. Yasako moved to the United States for more than six years, but it was a difficult job for her to adapt or fit into new culture where she lives. For an immigrant to accept a new culture is not an easy work. Yasako did try
Despite Yasako asks if she can help Hiro out at the restaurant, her tradition values stopped her to argue and contest with her husband. This is how Yasako shows her traditional sides of being a modest Japanese wife. However, her moderate personality did not represent her as a mother or her inner feelings. After Yasako realized Hiro was having an affair with Shizuko, her steely heart cannot tolerate her husband to dishonor her family and traditions in this way. Therefore, she decided to solve this problem by committing “oyaku shinju.” “Oyaku shinju” means parent-child suicide which is legal in Japan. Even though no one in the United States can understand why she has to be so radical and not seeking for help, Yasako have her own belief to do so. As Yasako notes, “Bun-shin is like a tree. The child is the branch that needs to stay connected to grow. So, if you —the tree— dies, the branch dies.” In Yasako’s mind, she is a trunk who support and provide everything to the branch, which is her daughter, so there is no reason that Kuniko can live without her. Taking Kuniko with her is the best way to show Yasako's love and care toward Kuniko. Yassko did show her hesitate when she asks Hiro to go to beach with her and Kuniko, but Hiro did not see her distress
Her steely heart vacillated once, but her determination of giving the best to Kuniko never changes. She also argues, “ We [Japanese] honor, no we worship our children.” Although people get confused when Yasako describes that she “worship” her child, everything make sense when we transform Kuniko into belief, soul, even god. Kuniko to her is a spiritual sustenance that fulfill her life in the