Entrapment

By writing the novel from her main character Mizuki's first person point of view, the author is able to inhabit and explore her distinct version of entrapment, and her desire for escape. As a wife and mother living in contemporary Tokyo, Japan, Mizuki often feels stifled by the customs, rules, and obligations that dictate her identity. In Chapter 20, as she struggles to reconcile her desires with her responsibilities, Mizuki says, "You can accept yourself, here, but only if you're fulfilling your obligation to society" (154). Therefore, Mizuki feels that her true self is locked inside her, unable to fully express itself while occupying the role of "Japanese housewife, a proper, old-school job for life" (18). These internal frustrations, however, are not merely inspired by Mizuki's circumstances in the narrative present. Indeed, though she never expected to be a wife, she always longed to be a mother. She also...