Talking Points: Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories

The High Heeled Shoes, A Memoir  

“She came back with the impression that the police had been much amused, that they had actually snickered as she left with their officially regretful shrug over her having given them nothing to go on.” (Mary trying to report being assaulted to the police. Page 3) 

Considering that only in recent years has society made progress towards violence perpetrated against women, this is a stark reminder of the unheard tales from women throughout history. That stigma of not having anyone believe their situation is a disheartening one. 

“Then he had soared on to the nobler implications of non-violence, reproaching the world for its cowardice in arming itself with the atomic bomb.” (Gandhi responding to how women should react to violence. Page 5) 

Non-violence is a noble response but, in this case, with women being attacked, this only exacerbates the issue. Understandable that many people would be looking for peace or pacificism following the second World War. With a societal expectation of not fighting back against violence combined with the image of the submissive woman, that opens the possibility of violence without reprisal.  

Seventeen Syllables  

“The truth was that Rosie was lazy; English lay ready on the tongue but Japanese had to be searched for and examined, and even then put forth tentatively (probably to meet with laughter).” (Rosie on trying to communicate with her Japanese mother. Page 8) 

American raised 

Trying to connect with mom 

Haikus to bridge gap 

“Yes, yes, I promise, Rosie said. But for an instant she turned away, and her mother, hearing the familiar glib agreement, released her.” (Rosie responding to her mother’s promise to never marry. Page 19) 

A cycle repeats 

To say yes rather than no 

Still unconnected 

The Legend of Miss Sasagawara  

“Oooh, that gal is really temperamental. I guess it’s because she was a ballet dancer before she got stuck in camp, I hear people like that are temperamental.” (Elsie talking about Miss Sasagawara. Page 21) 

This brings up some of the forced politeness that occurs in Japan. The idea being that one does not insult a person directly, but behind their back. Ballet is also a non-Japanese style of dancing, which could incite some xenophobic remarks. 

“The day came at last, however, when his wife died and other circumstances made it unnecessary for him to earn a competitive living.” (From Miss Sasagawara’s long poem. Page 32) 

Thinking on her circumstances, Miss Sasagawara traveled the country dancing ballet and performed in multiple theaters. Being placed in the internment camps, cut her off from being able to perform again. While her actions were seen as signs of mental instability, I think that she found her current circumstances a tragic departure of her previous life. 

Wilshire Bus  

“But the woman, in turn looking at her, presented a face so impassive yet cold, and eyes so expressionless yet hostile, that Esther’s overture fell quite flat.” (The old woman’s response to Esther trying to tell her to ignore the racist remarks. Page 37) 

It’s interesting how Esther prior to the response feels a sense of guilt in trying to be separate from the lady due to being of a different culture. Hearing the racist remarks about the Chinese, Esther guards herself with the justification that she is Japanese and thus immune to the insults. This is ignoring the fact that most Asians were perceived to be the same during that time period regardless of culture. 

“People say, do not regard what he says, now he is in liquor. Perhaps it is the only time he ought to be regarded.” (Esther reflecting on what the old man’s ramblings. Page 37) 

There is that ingrained notion that people say things they don’t mean to say while intoxicated. At the same time however, some describe alcohol as a substance that loosens inhibitions. The duality of the two statements reflect Esther’s struggle with the reality of living in America as a non-White person. A hidden undercurrent of hatred that only bubbles up when inhibitions are gone. 

The Brown House  

“Never again, he said to himself; he had learned his lesson.” (Mr. Hattori after leaving the gambling den. Page 40) 

Gambling addiction, slippery slope, or sunk-cost fallacy? The circumstances leading to Mr. Hattori taking the first step towards going to the gambling den was due to strawberries being reduced in sale price. The fact that so many minority groups were going there is a reflection of poverty that was an indicator of social inequality. 

“He pretended to be victim to a shudder. “You had no compunctions about that, Mr. Hattori,” she reminded him, “when you were inside that house.”” (Mr. Hattori’s reactions to an African American being in the car. Page 42-43) 

It’s vicious how even when both people were in the gambling den, Mr. Hattori treated the African American man like garbage. Both were victims of sudden impoverishment and yet Mr. Hattori focused on the fact that he was African American. Racial tensions even among minorities seem to prevail over their economic standing. 

Yoneko’s Earthquake  

“Such a church would have been impractical as Yoneko, her father, her mother, and her little brother Seigo were the only Japanese thereabouts.” (Yoneko reflecting on why there was no Baptist church. Page 46) 

Seeing as how Yonkeo’s only exposure to religion was through her Christian cousins, she yearned for Christianity. There is also the implication of dissonance between her cousins in the city and Yoneko living in a rural community. Thinking on why such a church would be impractical, it is interesting that the reason the church would be impractical was because her family were the only Japanese. What does that say about her neighbors? Would they be unable to become Baptists as well? Or is the fact that the Baptist church in the city being Japanese exclusive extend to the countryside? 

“The most surprising thing was that Marpo was, after all this, a rather shy young man meek to the point of speechlessness in the presence of Mr. And Mrs. Hosoume. With Yoneko and Seigo, he was somewhat more self-confident and at ease.” (Page 49) 

There is a generational gap especially with this tidbit on Marpo’s interactions with the Hosoume family. Against the older generation, he becomes meek while the younger generation allows him to express himself more freely. Combined with the earlier remark that Marpo came from Hawaii and the fact that Japanese considered Filipinos as indolent, there is an ingrained stigma that causes Marpo to freeze with the older Japanese. 

Morning Rain  

“Supper times were always uneasy when her father was visiting from San Francisco, where he worked as a gardener for a well-to-do family (it was the same job he had held before the war.” (Page 57-58) 

Wonder what the tension from this moment would be about? Did Mr. Endo get treated differently at this job after the war? For Sadako, I think there is always a sense of worry for family going out and being exposed to mistreatment or racial violence. 

“Each remembered privately, how freely and blithely Mrs. Endo used the term when she was alive.” (On hearing Mr. Endo saying ‘Okay’. Page 58) 

The late Mrs. Endo was a free-spirited type of woman and was what held the family together. There are some Japanese words that appear through the story such as Oto-san(father) and Sa (equivalent of sighing) so seeing ‘Okay’ instead of its Japanese equivalent (daijoubu) indicates that the word is in English. There is a subdued atmosphere in the household and ‘Okay’ is only surface level. There is something bothering the family but choose to instead keep it held inside. The shouting at the end is an indication of something that really wants to be addressed but cannot be. 

Epithalamium  

“…she had urgently sensed that it was against God’s will, as though some supernatural agent had been sent to deter them from their immorality; each moment stolen for love had been unmistakably tainted.” (Yuki Tsumagari’s frequent outside trysts with her husband Marco. Page 61.) 

There is a sense of propriety and decorum that Yuki wants to observe as they make love next to the Monastery and she feels guilty about it. The concern with image resonates with her on a spiritual level and there is a feeling of wrongness about the situation. Is it because she is engaging in premarital sex? Either way, the mention of taint and love in the same sentence links Yuki with a loss of purity and her identity as a member of the community. 

“Madame Marie was trying to dissuade her from marrying Marco, Yuki knew. “But if I give him up, won’t that be suffering too?” she couldn’t help asking.” (Page 63) 

This is a tragic parallel to many domestic violence stories that have been in circulation. Many women being unable to leave their husbands due to the husband having control over the finances is one reason. For Yuki however, the vow of marriage (til death do us part), her attraction to Marco, wanting to be apart from her parents, and identifying herself as Catholic are factors that lead to her leaving with Marco. 

Las Vegas Charley  

“(Japanese were not allowed to buy property, they told him – it was part of something called a Gentlemen’s Agreement between Japan and the United States).” (Page 74) 

Certain restrictions were placed upon the Japanese in order to immigrate over to the United States, with this being one of them. The Gentlemen’s Agreement was a way to try and reduce racial tensions between both nations. Charley’s encounters with the man at knifepoint was a microcosm of the United States’ perception of the Japanese during the war. 

“And he spoke nostalgically of his grandmother, the blue-green coolness of Midori-kawa, the green loveliness of the fields of rape and barley in the Spring.” (Noriyuki’s response to America. Page 78) 

The “fields of rape and barley” in the quote caught my attention as my gut reaction was that it was a typo. Perhaps it was meant to say grapes instead of rape. Thinking more about it however, I think that Noriyuki as a Kibei is more attuned to japan than America. Being surrounded by American culture is in a way a violation to him as their treatment by the Nisei alienates Noriyuki from what is his main source of Japanese culture. 

Life Among the Oil Fields, A Memoir  

“I did not command enough English or nerve to argue, but meekly joined the first-graders and prepared to go through the first grade all over again.” (Page 87) 

The struggles of the language barrier are one reason the plantation workers In Hawaii created the foundation for pidgin. For the narrator, being a child, this was horrific to him and one of his earliest encounters with the language barrier. 

“Mostly it was because such coldness of heart was not to be believed. The couple had not even the decency to come and inquire after Jemo’s condition.” (Trying to confront a couple after Jemo got ran over. Page 95) 

There are several ways to interpret the couple’s refusal for responsibility. One would be fear to face legal action regarding the incident and having to pay for it. This is followed by the narrator’s father asking a lawyer for a settlement. Another is that the couple didn’t even see Jemo as a person due to being Japanese. There is also a comment about the social hierarchy in which the couple don’t need to take responsibility as they are white. 

The Eskimo Connection  

“It was a passionate cry against the despoiling of his native land which somehow turned into a sermon repeating the Biblical prophecy that such an evil was only part of the wholesale corruption to precede the return of Christ…” (The Eskimo’s essay. Page 96) 

America has a long history of colonization in which the Native people are displaced and their traditions trampled on. It happened to the Native Americans who were placed on reservations and could only watch as their ownership of the land was usurped. For Hawaii, Queen Liliuokalani was forced at gunpoint to ratify the country into a territory of the United States, and so forth. It’s another tale of forced displacement in the case of Alaska it seems. 

“It’s a known fact, was it not, that prisons, as most of them were now constituted, rarely rehabilitated?” (Page 99) 

The Stanford Prison Experiment is an indicator of just how much power the environment can warp an individual. Within a day of the experiment being conducted, the men role playing as the guards starting to assert their authority over the prisoners who quickly grew despondent. Even for a simulation of a prison environment, the speed at which the guards started to turn against the prisoners was horrifying. 

My Father can beat Muhammad Ali  

“He didn’t care to be reminded about his stature, which had been one of the sore points of his high school athletic career.” (Page 105) 

This brings me back to the movie that we watched, Better Luck Tomorrow. The parallels between Henry and Ben being constantly on the sidelines is one major connection. On one hand, it makes sense for the larger athletes to compete as they have better range and reach, but there is always the matter of race.  It highlights another facet of segregation that while not blatantly or intentionally racist, still evokes those feelings. 

“Both the dishes and coffee were long done before Henry decided at last to come in.” (Page 108) 

Henry, I feel is dealing with his feelings of inadequacy which is why he boasts to the two boys about being able to beat Muhammad Ali. This stems also from his frustration in high school where despite trying his hardest for acknowledgement, he was sidelined. There is also the compulsion of trying to look good for your son as someone to respect and look up to. Those are the motivators that drove Henry to keep throwing that javelin even beyond what was rational. 

Underground Lady  

“That’s the way they want me to be. Like a Japanese — quiet.” (Page 110) 

Privacy is one of the most valued qualities that Japanese uphold. It extends to the point of being quiet as it promotes a sense of tranquility and peace. I felt that quiet living in Oahu when we moved to Pearl City, a primarily Japanese neighborhood. On some nights, I felt guilty playing on my computer as it felt like the only making noise on some nights. Privacy however can also lead to not talking about issues, leading them to be ignored for the sake of upholding the peace. 

“So I explained that was the term in current use for homeless women you saw everywhere and especially downtown who carried all their possessions with them, usually in plastic shopping bags or even trash bags…” (Explaining the usage of bag lady. Page 112) 

Interacting with the homeless has always been something that I’ve ignored for a good majority of my life. My parents have always warned me that any homeless person asking you for money are going to spend the money on drugs or alcohol. I’m always hesitant when encountering the homeless due to my parents but this story seems to only reinforce that notion of not interacting with the homeless. The constantly shifting narrative, the dates not matching with the ages f people in the story, and her ability to survive despite being impoverished. 

A Day in Little Tokyo  

“She had envied the child dancers with their faces painted dead white, their blackened eyebrows and bright red bee-stung lips. They seemed a world apart in their brilliant silken kimonos, in their gliding movements, to the plucked music and wailing song…” (Chisato on watching a street event. Page 116) 

It’s always tough hearing my family speak Ilocano or Tagalog and only picking up some fragments of the conversation. My feelings mirror Chisato here when I’m confronted with something from the Philippines and at times, I feel like an outsider looking in. 

She had even toyed with the idea of changing her name. Chisato was so ugly. Gloria, after Gloria Stuart. Or Madge, after Madge Evans.” (Chisato being confronted with her nickname of Cheese. Page 118) 

As a child, one’s sense of identity is especially prone to change. Being surrounded by American culture, having a Japanese name would appear odd. It adds another factor that makes fitting in difficult. What I find amusing though is Chisato’s envy for the Japanese performers she notices but is at the same time thinking of changing her name. 

Reading and Writing  

“The handwriting on the envelope and card was evidently accomplished with much pain; that scrawl was the most tortured calligraphy I had ever seen.” (Upon receiving a card from Hallie during Christmas. Page 125) 

The way this line is written stood out to me vividly with a hint of amusement. The image this conjures memories of when I had to teach my younger brother how to write legibly. Good lord was his handwriting atrocious. In the context of the story however, illiteracy is something that makes me wonder how these people survive. Being denied the font of information that dominates this era is an interesting thing to ponder on. 

“A day or so after out visit, Biff phoned to tell us Hallie was gone. She had died peacefully.” (Page 128) 

With the way Hallie lived, always being sociable, connecting to others, and always helping people, it’s a bit of a bittersweet moment hearing of her death. Hallie fought to make sure her daughter Angela would graduate and being able to see her daughter’s high school diploma was a an emotionally impactful scene. Overall, this story was a pretty heartwarming tale of a kind woman who died content.