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Read 'Kitchen' by Banana Yoshimoto today. In this novel the author depicts the kitchen as a place of comfort and communion representative of family and union, and its contents, such as food and culinary utensils, are used by the various characters of the story as a method of conveying their feelings and emotions. Here Yoshimoto depicts a Japanese society where people substitute inanimate objects for real people and feelings, in an attempt to find alleviation from their own discomfort and loneliness. From the very beginning of the novel, we see that the kitchen is a conceptual metaphor of love, family and solace, a place where Mikage can find a safe haven. However, as the novel progresses, we see her 'move' out of the kitchen and into society as a fully functioning member of society, whether that be a cook, girlfriend, or friend. Yoshimoto asks of us some interesting questions as readers and provokes us to think of what food and the kitchen represent in Japanese society she depicts, and to some extent, our own societies.
'Kitchen' begins with the sentence "The place I like best in the world is the kitchen. " Even from the first sentence of the story, the reader can see that the kitchen is a hugely important place to the protagonist Mikage because it represents a place of communion between herself and her late grandmother. After her grandmother's death, Mikage is unable to cope with the loss and decides to sleep in the kitchen beside the refrigerator, which provides a sense of belonging and comfort, and is "a little nicer than being all alone. " The refrigerator acts as an object that provides Mikage with strength and confidence, as it contains "enough food to get through a winter. " The food in itself carries connotations of life and nourishment. The kitchen seems to temporarily alleviate Mikage's loneliness, where the objects inside it, such as an "oil splattered gas burner " and "rusty kitchen knife ," are representations of a time when Mikage and her grandmother lived together. The kitchen invokes a very strong emotional response in Mikage, where the food and utensils inside provide her with security and calm. Mikage's inability to cope with the loss of her dead grandmother has resulted in her relying upon inanimate objects for a source of comfort, and she ends up fills emotion and spiritual void left by her grandmother with the kitchen and food.
'Kitchen' begins with the sentence "The place I like best in the world is the kitchen. " Even from the first sentence of the story, the reader can see that the kitchen is a hugely important place to the protagonist Mikage because it represents a place of communion between herself and her late grandmother. After her grandmother's death, Mikage is unable to cope with the loss and decides to sleep in the kitchen beside the refrigerator, which provides a sense of belonging and comfort, and is "a little nicer than being all alone. " The refrigerator acts as an object that provides Mikage with strength and confidence, as it contains "enough food to get through a winter. " The food in itself carries connotations of life and nourishment. The kitchen seems to temporarily alleviate Mikage's loneliness, where the objects inside it, such as an "oil splattered gas burner " and "rusty kitchen knife ," are representations of a time when Mikage and her grandmother lived together. The kitchen invokes a very strong emotional response in Mikage, where the food and utensils inside provide her with security and calm. Mikage's inability to cope with the loss of her dead grandmother has resulted in her relying upon inanimate objects for a source of comfort, and she ends up fills emotion and spiritual void left by her grandmother with the kitchen and food.
