Family Supper Kazuo Ishiguro-character

Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-born English novel writer, born in 1960. His short story A Family Supper published in 1982 is about the return to a family of a nameless son who had been away in California for years. The novel represents the difficulty of communication between generations, and addresses the themes of tradition and honour.

The story centres on the boy’s conversations with members of his family, namely his father and his sister, whilst supper is being prepared. During the supper, their sparse communication is the substance of the story, and at the end of the meal, the father urges his son to stay in Japan. The son, however, does not commit to anything by the novel’s end, indicative of the end of the story in general.

As stated, the story revolves around tradition, honour, and death. This is highlighted by the reason of the son’s return: his mother’s death after eating the poisonous fish fugu. The eating of the fish emphasises the role of tradition in Japan, and the consequences of such traditions. Traditions such as suicide are also revealed, with the mother’s death pointing toward such an act. Death overshadows much of the novel, with the father’s business partner committing suicide, as well as the link between the son and daughter and their past experiences at the household.

The novel is written in the first person, from the son’s point of view, but he divulges little on his past. Facts to be learned are few and far between, and emotions are rarely brought into question. The lack of communication, to the reader and between the family members, highlights the generation divide which is such a central aspect of the novel. The lack of understanding through the generations is clearly presented, and the statement ‘despite our difference of years, my sister and I were always close’ is an illuminating support for this.

Ishiguro is a subtle and thoughtful writer. He reveals as much with the things left unsaid and unexplained. He is articulate with the ideas he represents, such as the link between the ghost and the mother, the interrelationships between characters, and the themes woven into this short story.

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