The Writer's Forum

Never in my life, have I encountered such provocative writing before. Banana’s Yoshimoto’s “The Kitchen” is an enriched text, seasoned appropriately with vivid use of imagery, diction, metaphors and symbolism. As I indulged in the text, the entire events seemed to enfold right before my eyes.

This book is about two young people: a woman Mikage and a man called Yuichi. Mikage lost her grandmother, who was her last relative alive. Yuichi and her father allow Mikage to live with them as she has no relatives and nowhere to go. Yuichi knew Mikage’s grandmother; and he understands her pain as he has also suffered from grief over the death of his mother. By the end of the book, both Yuichi and Mikage decide to get married. But one must note that theirs was not an ordinary romance. They met by fate and even when they tried to leave each other, fate brought them back again.

What I love about this book is its simplicity, purity and depth. I will share some quotes here and analyze their use in detail.

“The scratching of our pens mingled with the sound of raindrops beginning to fall in the transparent stillness of the evening” (pg. 28)

Here we see how Yoshimoto utilizes imagery and diction. The words “scratching”, “transparent”, “raindrops”, “stillness”, all help the reader paint this really clear picture of the scene via imagination. I also love how the author combined personal elements such as writing with external elements such as rain and successfully established a connection between them.

”Yuichi and I are climbing a narrow ladder in the jet-black gloom. Together we peer into the cauldron of hell. We stare into the bubbling red sea of fire, and the air hitting our faces is so hot it makes us reel.”

Hmm! this quote captures the inner agony and turmoil Mikage undergoes as she tries to decide if it’s wise to stay with Yuichi. Both Mikage and Yuichi have a past and they are both struggling hard to handle it. Mikage handles everything by getting really busy and focusing on her career. On the other hand, Yuichi keeps dipping into depression and is only jolted out of it by a call from Mikage or any other friend.

Perhaps, the most interesting part of this book was reading about Yuichi’s father. In the beginning it disgusted me to learn that Yuichi mother was in fact his father dressed as his mother. Puzzled!

After the loss of Yuichi’s mom, his father decides to have some facial surgery and starts dressing and acting like a woman. I was tempted to stop reading the book because this scenario was so difficult to digest but then it hit me that this might be an “extended metaphor”.

Later on, in the book, I read the following commentary by Yuichi’s father:

“Soon after she died…I realized that the world did not exist for my benefit. It followed that the ratio of pleasant and unpleasant things around me would not change. It wasn’t up to me. It was clear that the best thing to do was to adopt a sort of muddled cheerfulness. So I become a woman and here I am.”

Yuichi’s dad realized that the world is full of bad things but he needs to survive nevertheless. So he wanted to become most near to what gave him strength in the first place i.e. Yuichi’s mom. Hence, he started wearing her clothes and acting like a mother.

I think Yuichi’s father is an extended metaphor for “strength imparted by a woman to those around her”.

”The endless sea was shrouded in darkness. I could see the shadowy forms of gigantic, rugged crags against which the waves were crashing. While watching them, I felt a strange, sweet sadness”

Mikage thinks this, as she realizes that life will always have its ups and downs.” Darkness covering the sea” is symbolic of difficult life she is most likely going to face. It is also a premonition. The sea is a metaphor for the struggles in life.

”The room was warm, filling with steam from the boiling water.” (pg. 105)

This quote is from the last page of the book. Mikage and Yuichi have made up their mind that they truly can’t live without each other and hence must stay with each other forever. The kitchen is symbolic of every warm and happy event of life. Mention of the kitchen at the end tells us that Mikage and Yuichi have made the right decision and that they will successfully bring happiness in each other’s life.

In conclusion, “Kitchen” is a very enjoyable read. Imagery, metaphors, symbolism etc. all deeply intrigue one’s mind. I felt a serene calmness overcome me as I thoroughly enjoyed the description of food, weather, nature, struggles in life etc.

I recommend this book to everyone who just wants to have fun reading or who is a keen student of English. I promise that reading it will be a very enriching experience.