Literary Tropes and Familial Literary Tropes and Familial Incest in Banana Yoshimoto’s Incest in Banana Yoshimoto’s KitchenKitchen

the transmission and the transmission and transfiguration of Noh and post-transfiguration of Noh and post-

nuclearnuclear family structuresfamily structures

Presenter: Michele Gibney, Presenter: Michele Gibney, University of San FranciscoUniversity of San Francisco

ThesisThesis

In contrast to her detractors, In contrast to her detractors, Banana Yoshimoto utilizes elements Banana Yoshimoto utilizes elements

of traditional and modern literary of traditional and modern literary culture in the novel culture in the novel KitchenKitchen. The . The tropes that she employs include tropes that she employs include

poetical allusion and Noh dramatic poetical allusion and Noh dramatic forms. She is also drawing upon a forms. She is also drawing upon a lineage of post-World War II female lineage of post-World War II female

authors who wrote about the authors who wrote about the dynamic (re)definition of family dynamic (re)definition of family

structure. structure.

Critics of Critics of BananaBanana• She focuses on the She focuses on the

international and international and cosmopolitan to the cosmopolitan to the detriment of Japanese detriment of Japanese cultural referencescultural references

• Inclusion of American pop-Inclusion of American pop-cultural iconscultural icons– ““Wrapped in a blanket, like Wrapped in a blanket, like

Linus, I slept.” (5)Linus, I slept.” (5)– ““The scene reminded me of The scene reminded me of

the Jungle Cruise at the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. Thinking, what a Disneyland. Thinking, what a fake looking green, I turned fake looking green, I turned around…” (96)around…” (96)

• Saccharine and overly Saccharine and overly upbeatupbeat

Traditional vs. ModernTraditional vs. Modern

• ““traditional traditional sensibilities underlie sensibilities underlie those hip attitudes, those hip attitudes, and this duality and this duality drives much of her drives much of her work.”work.”

– Nicole GaouetteNicole Gaouette

Poetical Allusion: Ono no Poetical Allusion: Ono no KomachiKomachi• ““My dreams were My dreams were

always about Hitoshi. always about Hitoshi. After my painful, fitful After my painful, fitful sleep, whether or not I sleep, whether or not I have been able to see have been able to see him, on awakening I him, on awakening I would know it had would know it had been only a dream—in been only a dream—in reality I would never reality I would never be with him again…I be with him again…I would feel abandoned would feel abandoned in the chill and silence in the chill and silence of dawn. It was so of dawn. It was so forlorn and cold, I forlorn and cold, I wished I could be back wished I could be back in the dream.”in the dream.”

(Yoshimoto, 112)(Yoshimoto, 112)

• Thinking about him, Thinking about him, I slept, only to have I slept, only to have him him Appear before me — Appear before me — Had I known it was a Had I known it was a dream dream I should never I should never have wakened.have wakened.

• Ono no KomachiOno no Komachi

(Keene, 78)(Keene, 78)

Traditional vs. ModernTraditional vs. Modern

• ““In Noh plays, ghosts In Noh plays, ghosts appear. And sometimes appear. And sometimes a character’s personality a character’s personality changes entirely. Just by changes entirely. Just by putting on a mask they putting on a mask they suddenly become a suddenly become a demon. I think that what demon. I think that what I write is very close to I write is very close to that tradition.”that tradition.”

– Banana YoshimotoBanana Yoshimoto

Moonlight ShadowMoonlight Shadow and and NohNoh• Shite - Shite - SatsumiSatsumi• Waki - Waki - UraraUrara• ““Seed” - originSeed” - origin• Poetry – plot impetusPoetry – plot impetus• Absentee heroes – HitoshiAbsentee heroes – Hitoshi• Ghost - closureGhost - closure• Life to Death vs. Death to LifeLife to Death vs. Death to Life• Moralistic conclusionMoralistic conclusion

Shite Shite and and wakiwaki• ShiteShite = main performer, doer = main performer, doer

– SatsumiSatsumi

• WakiWaki = the witness, the enabler of the = the witness, the enabler of the shiteshite– UraraUrara

““Seed” - Seed” - originorigin• A Noh play begins from a “seed”—usually A Noh play begins from a “seed”—usually

“from suitable traditional sources.” In general “from suitable traditional sources.” In general this means a poem or a group of poems.this means a poem or a group of poems.

– Terasaki, 29Terasaki, 29

• ““Moonlight Shadow” is a song by Mike Moonlight Shadow” is a song by Mike Oldfield.Oldfield.– ““Four AM in the morningFour AM in the morning

Carried away by a moonlight shadowCarried away by a moonlight shadowI watched your vision formingI watched your vision formingCarried away by a moonlight shadowCarried away by a moonlight shadowStars move slowly in the silvery nightStars move slowly in the silvery nightFar away on the other sideFar away on the other side"Will you come to talk to me this night?""Will you come to talk to me this night?"But she couldn't find how to push through” But she couldn't find how to push through”

Absentee heroes - Absentee heroes - HitoshiHitoshi• Terasaki calls them:Terasaki calls them:

– “ ‘“ ‘absentee heroes’; without physical absentee heroes’; without physical presence, they exist mainly in the presence, they exist mainly in the memories or fantasies of the memories or fantasies of the protagonist, are represented as desire protagonist, are represented as desire or a void in the women’s psyche.” (12)or a void in the women’s psyche.” (12)

•““his presence is powerfully evoked through his presence is powerfully evoked through a set of verbal constructs.” (37)a set of verbal constructs.” (37)

Poetry – plot impetusPoetry – plot impetus• ““There was an electric charge There was an electric charge

between our hearts and its between our hearts and its conduit was the sound of the conduit was the sound of the bell…I could hear it even when he bell…I could hear it even when he wasn’t there.” (110)wasn’t there.” (110)– Element of soundElement of sound– Gift of a bellGift of a bell– Present in every encounterPresent in every encounter– Informs plot thru memory and Informs plot thru memory and

absenceabsence

GhostGhost

• IntroducedIntroduced

• Takes center stageTakes center stage

• Relegates living to backgroundRelegates living to background

• The ghost as the “other” is The ghost as the “other” is “(dis)placed outside the strongly “(dis)placed outside the strongly

conventional system of social norm.” conventional system of social norm.” (Terasaki, 13)(Terasaki, 13)

• Social stigma/socially marginalSocial stigma/socially marginal

• However…However…

Critics of Critics of BananaBanana• She focuses on the She focuses on the

international and international and cosmopolitan to the cosmopolitan to the detriment of Japanese detriment of Japanese cultural referencescultural references

• Inclusion of American pop-Inclusion of American pop-cultural iconscultural icons– ““Wrapped in a blanket, like Wrapped in a blanket, like

Linus, I slept.” (5)Linus, I slept.” (5)– ““The scene reminded me of The scene reminded me of

the Jungle Cruise at the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. Thinking, what a Disneyland. Thinking, what a fake looking green, I turned fake looking green, I turned around…” (96)around…” (96)

• Saccharine and overly Saccharine and overly upbeatupbeat

Saccharine and overly Saccharine and overly upbeatupbeat• Marginalized ghostMarginalized ghost

• More emphasis on the More emphasis on the livingliving

• Comparison with Osama Comparison with Osama DazaiDazai– ““glorify suffering, glorify suffering,

negativism, and death.”negativism, and death.”– ““encouraged by Yoshimoto’s encouraged by Yoshimoto’s

novels, and find in them an novels, and find in them an optimism and brightness optimism and brightness absent in their own lives.”absent in their own lives.”

Ann Sherif.Ann Sherif.

Life to Death vs. Death to Life to Death vs. Death to LifeLife• ““Death appears not an Death appears not an

end but as a starting end but as a starting point: the starting point point: the starting point of the transferal of the of the transferal of the

story, that is, of its story, that is, of its survival, of its capacity survival, of its capacity to go on, to subsist, by to go on, to subsist, by means of the repeated means of the repeated passage it effects from passage it effects from death to life, and which death to life, and which effect the narrative.”effect the narrative.”

Shoshana Feldman. Shoshana Feldman. Terasaki, 20Terasaki, 20

Moralistic conclusionMoralistic conclusion

• ““Parting and death are both terribly Parting and death are both terribly painful. But to keep nursing the painful. But to keep nursing the

memory of a love so great you can’t memory of a love so great you can’t believe you’ll ever love again is a believe you’ll ever love again is a

useless drain on a woman’s energies…useless drain on a woman’s energies…So I think it’s for the best that we were So I think it’s for the best that we were

able to say a proper, final good-bye able to say a proper, final good-bye today.” (148)today.” (148)

Kitchen Kitchen and and Moonlight ShadowMoonlight Shadow

(Re)definition of family (Re)definition of family structuresstructures

Post-World War II Women Post-World War II Women WritersWriters

• Kono Taeko (1926-)Kono Taeko (1926-)

• Oba Minako (1930-)Oba Minako (1930-)

• Sono Ayako (1931-)Sono Ayako (1931-)

• Ariyoshi Sawako (1931-Ariyoshi Sawako (1931-1984)1984)

• Takahashi Takako (1932-)Takahashi Takako (1932-)

• Kurahashi Yumiko (1935-)Kurahashi Yumiko (1935-)

• Tomioka Taeko (1935-)Tomioka Taeko (1935-)

• Masuda Mizuko (1948-)Masuda Mizuko (1948-)

• Yoshimoto Banana (1964-)Yoshimoto Banana (1964-)

Philosophy of post-nuclear female Philosophy of post-nuclear female authorsauthors

• Rejection of social norms/challenge Rejection of social norms/challenge of social conventionsof social conventions– MarriageMarriage– MotherhoodMotherhood

• Explore marginalized sexualitiesExplore marginalized sexualities– AndrogynyAndrogyny– IncestIncest– HomosexualityHomosexuality

• De-phallicize the male/patriarchyDe-phallicize the male/patriarchy

De-phallicize the male and reject De-phallicize the male and reject patriarchypatriarchy

KitchenKitchen

• No father figuresNo father figures– Yuji Yuji Eriko Eriko

• Reassertion of patriarchal societyReassertion of patriarchal society– Stabbed to death by a knife (phallic)Stabbed to death by a knife (phallic)

Exploration of marginalized Exploration of marginalized sexualitiessexualities

AndrogynyAndrogyny• ““One is struck by the absence of One is struck by the absence of

explicit sexual contrast—like the explicit sexual contrast—like the absence of sex itself—from absence of sex itself—from KitchenKitchen. . Mikage and Yuichi, like the so-called Mikage and Yuichi, like the so-called boy-girl pairs in all of Yoshimoto boy-girl pairs in all of Yoshimoto Banana’s works, retain unarguable Banana’s works, retain unarguable signs of maleness and femaleness signs of maleness and femaleness only in the gender of their names.” only in the gender of their names.” (Treat, 291)(Treat, 291)

Exploration of marginalized Exploration of marginalized sexualitiessexualities

IncestIncest

• ““quasi-sibling, quasi-sexual relationship” quasi-sibling, quasi-sexual relationship” which “always teeters on the incestuous.” which “always teeters on the incestuous.”

(Treat, 290)(Treat, 290)

• ““the task of measuring the distance and the task of measuring the distance and space between two persons. The incest space between two persons. The incest motif indicates, on the metaphysical level, motif indicates, on the metaphysical level, a desire to shorten the distance and space; a desire to shorten the distance and space; in other words, a desire for the purest and in other words, a desire for the purest and the closest relationship of love.” the closest relationship of love.” (Muta, 151)(Muta, 151)

Exploration of marginalized Exploration of marginalized sexualitiessexualities

IncestIncest

• ““although we have always acted as although we have always acted as brother and sister, aren’t we really man brother and sister, aren’t we really man and woman in the primordial sense, and and woman in the primordial sense, and don’t we think of each other that way?” don’t we think of each other that way?” ((Kitchen, Kitchen, 66)66)

• ““we’re all brothers and sisters when we’re we’re all brothers and sisters when we’re in trouble, aren’t we? I care about you so in trouble, aren’t we? I care about you so much, I just want to crawl into the same much, I just want to crawl into the same bed with you.” bed with you.” ((Moonlight ShadowMoonlight Shadow, 143), 143)

Exploration of marginalized Exploration of marginalized sexualitiessexualities

IncestIncest

• KitchenKitchenYuichi: “Why is it everything I eat when I’m with you Yuichi: “Why is it everything I eat when I’m with you

is so delicious?is so delicious?Mikage: “Could it be that you’re satisfying hunger Mikage: “Could it be that you’re satisfying hunger

and lust at the same time?” (100)and lust at the same time?” (100)

– Bloodied hand; “with all the joy of a nursing mother” Bloodied hand; “with all the joy of a nursing mother” (Treat, 287)(Treat, 287)

• Moonlight ShadowsMoonlight ShadowsSatsumi: “I always enjoyed what I ate when I was Satsumi: “I always enjoyed what I ate when I was

with him. How wonderful that is, I thought.” (142)with him. How wonderful that is, I thought.” (142)

– ““I’ll do Hitoshi”I’ll do Hitoshi”– Bell sound Bell sound Hiiragi’s laughter Hiiragi’s laughter

ConclusionConclusion• Transmission and Transmission and

TransfigurationTransfiguration– Poetical allusionPoetical allusion– NohNoh– Themes of Japanese Themes of Japanese

women writers in the women writers in the post-World War II erapost-World War II era

• Past, Present and Past, Present and FutureFuture– Past - abandonedPast - abandoned– Present - hopefulPresent - hopeful– Future - incestuousFuture - incestuous