Essay Questions

How does Japanese culture view suicide? How are these views different from how other culture’s view suicide?

The Japanese view suicide as an honorable way to die. Suicide is for honor or for shame. The kamikaze pilots committed suicide to honor their country and their families were rewarded for their loyalty. Suicide is also committed because of shame. A person feels they are a burden or bring dishonor to their family. Suicide is seen as an honorable way to die.

Suicide is generally viewed as an issue of mental health. A person becomes depressed and sees no reason to live. It is the last resort of a desperate person. Nao’s father sees it as a way to help his family. He believes his family will be better off without him because he cannot provide for them or protect them. It is not a selfish act on his part, but he feels others will benefit from it.

Why does Ruth get so upset about forgetting about the time difference between her present and when Nao would be writing the diary?

Ruth is so upset about her failure to grasp the time difference between her present reading Nao’s diary and Nao writing the diary because she is worried that she is developing Alzheimer’s. Her mother had the disease and Ruth’s greatest fear is that she will get this disease that will take away her memory, her life. She saw how her mother suffered with the disease and it frightens her. When she feels that she is losing time, it makes her believe the disease is already taking hold of her. She does not want to lose the precious memories of her life and her family and friends.

How does Nao cope with being supplanted into a culture that she does not understand? Could her parents have done more to help in her transition?

Nao goes from a country where she has lots of friends and a great life to Japan where her family has no wealth and she know no one. She knows nothing of the culture and does not want to assimilate. She sees herself as American and has American ideals, which are foreign in Japan. Her classmates bully her severely for her difference and even the teacher joins them. This would not have happened to her in America. She is seen as an outsider by the Japanese children and treated as such. Nao’s parents could have helped her transition by helping her improve her Japanese and being taught about the culture. Nao experienced a huge culture shock that could have been avoided with preparation.