“Up to that moment, I had never thought of Father and Mother as Japanese. True, they had almond eyes and they spoke Japanese to us, but I never felt that it was strange. It was like one person’s being red-haired and another black.”
The quote shows cultural diversity and Son is not aware at first that she is brought up with two intertwined cultures. Later, she discovers that her parents are Japanese but that is not a big deal because she sees no difference in her upbringing.
“Shod in spanking white tabis—Japanese stockings—and scarlet cork-soled slippers, the young women stood in tense excitement at the rails of the ship.”
The quote is an imagery of sight depicting the sense of sight to help Sonie comprehend how a Japanese woman should dress using traditional clothes. However, it is vivid that change is irresistible and all Japanese women are ready for transition in everything they do including dressing.
“One day when I was a happy six-year-old, I made the shocking discovery that I had Japanese blood. I was Japanese.”
The realization of her race and ethnicity shocks Sone but brings a new dimension in her life. After discovering that she is Japanese, Sone is ready to embrace her new reality and do whatever it takes to build a better future for herself.
