A Family Supper

Nabeel Mamar

Mrs. Brooks

Period 2

10/28/15

A Family Supper  

1. By doing this the author foreshadows that the knowing about this poisonous fish is important since later in the story they are eating fish. The whole story discusses death and how dying can be honorable in Japanese culture. This puts more of an emphasis on the fist and the importance of Japanese culture to the father which seems to be ignored by the children.  
2. The narrator being from California has lost the essence of the Japanese culture will values family. The farther may be disappointed in his son because of this. The son has experience new things and has gone on adventure. He lives with his girlfriend. Unlike his father he has forgot about his family. His mother’s death was the only thing that brought him home. His father is very traditional and values family where as his son values new experience. This creates tension between the son and the father. The father never reveals his thoughts about his son’s current state in the story but it is clear that they are there.
3. Kikuko is a mixture of both. She opens up with her brother but she is very traditional and formal in front of her father. The father says that “She’s a good girl” implying that she is following the values he has better than the son. The sister is also nervous around the father like she feels that she has to keep a good image around him where as the son doesn’t really care how he acts. Her values are of both her brother and her parents. She shows lots of respect to the traditional ways but even her is considering living with her boyfriend and living a life similar to that of her brothers. The father is disappointed because neither of the kids truly value their heritage. He feels like they insulted him by living him and his wife.
4. His suicide shows how extreme the Japanese will go to maintain honor. The father is clearly also traditional so it implies that the father might do the same to his kids. The father even claims that Mr. Watanabe was an honorable man even after the suicide and murder of his family. The father claims that he killed his family also because the collapse of the firm was a huge blow and he wouldn’t be able to live after that. Because of his Japanese culture it is rather more probable that this is more of a cultural thing, like that of a samurai.  
5. The ending is appropriate because it leaves whatever happens after to the reader. It is not clear whether the father kills himself and his children but it is suspicious due to the fact that they are eating fish. Also when the kids ask what they are eating the father replies with “just fish” but he doesn’t specify which one so it could be the poisonous one that kill their mother. Also towards the end of the story the father is deep in thought and not being clear with his thoughts. He is clearly thinking about something that he doesn’t want the kids to know about. Also because he might have been a pilot in WW2 he could have been a kamikaze pilot. They commit suicide to take out their target. Since he seems in agreement with the whole dying for honor thing it wouldn’t be a surprise if he killed his kids. Also he is very disappointed in them because of their new values and he could be doing it because he feels insulted or dishonored.