the theme of phone scamming to drive home the importance of filial responsibility
Reflection on Short Story by Shitoru
The short story by Shitoru mimics the everyday life of a family in the United States. The author is determined to tell the reader about his family, which explains the graphic description of the family. The reader can actually immerse himself or herself into the lives of the individuals in the family. The author’s family represents a close family because despite everybody having things to do such as employment, they still manage to come together. The author takes the reader through the plot gradually, which makes it easy for the reader to follow the story and understand where the author is coming from. When reading the story, it is easy to connect the story to its historical timeline. The reader can determine that the setting takes place in a suburban home. These homes developed in the period after World War II when people moved from the cities and large town to settle in suburban homes. The author wants the reader to make these connections such that it is easy to understand the writers’ point of view. The story also alludes to the fact that the author is a member an immigrant family from Japan. Contrast, imagery and repetition are some of the stylistic devices that the author has used. For instance, the author repeats the name Tomo to make the reader aware that the scammer is pretending to be Tomo. Second, the style of contrast is clear and it helps the reader to deduce the historical context of the story. For instance, the author says that his mother is old and always thinks she is right. This is a very common characteristic with mothers of the baby boomers age. The author also makes this distinction to show the reader that he is relatively young. The author narrates that he lives away from his parents. This is a common setting nowadays where young people are expected to move out of their parents’ house once they find a job.
The author uses the theme of phone scamming to drive home the importance of filial responsibility. The author, being Japanese-American, is struggling with the American identity, as well as the Japanese identity. Although the author comes home for vegetables, the truth is, he unconsciously comes to check on his mother who is 60 years old. On one particular day, the author visits his mother and saves her from a phone scam whereby the scammer was pretending to be his brother. The phone is symbolic because it represents a new age of global expansion and technological advancement. The mother is the group caught between the pros and cons of technological advancement. This symbolism is important because it drive the point home that filial responsibility is still an important task on a young person’s life. The author is unaware of his role in this discourse, and is caught up in the American dream, which is represented by independence of having your own house, a good job, and a personal car. These symbols are repeatedly mentioned in the passage. Nevertheless, filial responsibility remains as important as it were before all the advancement in technology and economy.
