Books and Writing

Books and writing are symbolic of individual control over interaction with the world. Both Natsuko and Midoriko use books and writing to control their interactions in a literal, non-symbolic way, such as when Midoriko forces her mother to communicate with her through writing. However, this act is also symbolic, as the literal act of communication does not fundamentally change anything about Midoriko’s relationship with her mother or her life, but it does show her desire to hold herself at a distance from her mother during a time when she finds interaction with her too overwhelming. Natsuko finds the possession of books to be comforting and feels herself unmoored from life at times when she finds herself without them, such as when she leaves her bookbag behind in her childhood apartment and feels “like a part of [her] brain had fallen asleep” (11).