He becomes speechless when he is emotionally challenged: "Inevitably, our conversation since my arrival at the airport had been punctuated by long pauses" (466). By the end of the story, the son is still the same person but he experienced some psychological obstacles dealing with his mother's death and his surroundings. The journey through the son's reactions helps us reveal him being a round character.
The story's main conflict is the sons" internal struggle with the death of his mother. He does not get too emotional with the situation, but still recognizes her as his truly loved mother: "Yes, Poor Mother" (468). The main conflict between the son and his mother's death is merely the backbone to many other conflicts. His mother's death also raises the suspicion of dinner. His father prepared a fish dinner on the same day he told his son that his mother died from eating a poisonous fish. Wish the reinforcement of his father's firm collapsing, the son has reason to worry: ""Very good," I said. "What is it?" "Just fish."" (471). His father's firm partner killed himself and his whole family due to the collapse of their firm. With this in mind, and the father's pure samurai blood, one needs to worry The resolution of the suicide conflict is left unknown but the father does want his children to live with him: ""If you were to stay here, I mean here in this house, you would be very welcome. That is, if you don't mind living with an old man."" (472). This can persuade the reader that the father did not serve fugu for dinner but just fish. .
The story takes place in Japan at the father's house. The time is unknown but Ishiguro gives a few clues like the model of the battleship, and the airliner that transported the son to Japan from California. The battleship relates to the main conflict: ""I hadn't meant to tell you this, but perhaps its best that I do. It's my belief that your mother's death was no accident.
The story begins with a means to an end. The fugu fish if not cut properly, is a deadly meal. The story is ripe with references to death, suicide, and accidental death. The author succeeds in creating a dreary, morbid tone. I believe it is the authors' goal to create the perception that the father i...
Although, he is telling the story, it is rather informal; such as he uses words like "flound'ring" on line 12 and "fumbling" on line 9. ... - An ecstasy of fumbling," on line one of the second stanza. The word "fumbling" is suggesting that due to the soldiers' physical conditions, their actions in putting the masks on tend to be much slower than before upon interacting with their mind. ...
I really do not want to fumble around, if there is an intruder in my home, trying to unlock my gun. ... I really do not believe that your spouse or, significant other, would be able to unlock the trigger device, in the dark and while nervously fumbling around, I know I would not be able to accomplish such a task, especially while there is an intruder in my home. ...
The participles 'fumbling', 'stumbling', 'floundering', 'drowning' help to reinforce the sense of muddle and confusion. There is an 'ecstasy of fumbling', as the soldiers are so tired that they cannot co-ordinate themselves properly to put on their helmets quickly enough. ...
The second metaphor is " an ecstasy of fumbling". ... The soldiers would have been trying to put their masks on in a hurry but due to their physical condition their minds would have been wanting to move faster than their bodies would have allowed them, this is why the were "fumbling". ...
The unusual use of the word ecstasy in the phrase "An ecstasy of fumbling", emphasises the weary but quickened movements of the soldiers as they reach for their "clumsy helmets". ... Where it is used in "fumbling, stumbling, fitting, haunting, dropping, yelling, and flound'ring", to extend the agony of death, while the assoance emphasises the gutteral onomatoepic sounds. ...
Owen describes the soldiers fumbling to get their mask fastened, all but one, a lone soldier. ... -An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, But someone still was yelling out and stumbling And flound"ring like a man in fire or lime. ...
