The Imagery of Sumire
K explains, “Sumire was a hopeless romantic, a bit set in her ways—innocent of the ways of the world, to put a nice spin on it. Start her talking and she’d go on nonstop, but if she was with someone she didn’t get along with—most people in the world, in other words—she barely opened her mouth. She smoked too much, and you could count on her to lose her ticket every time she took the train. She’d get so engrossed in her thoughts at times she’d forget to eat, and she was as thin as one of those war orphans in an old Italian film—like a stick with eyes. I’d love to show you a photo of her, but I don’t have any. She hated having her photograph taken—no desire to leave behind for posterity a Portrait of the Artist as a Young (Wo)Man.” K portrays Sumire has an idealistic individual who espouses dreamy outlooks concerning her life. She can be talkative depending on her company during a particular instance. Sumire is addicted to smoking, and she is careless based on how naturally she misplaces her train tickets. Sumire is a poor eater based on how her body looks and her tendency to be extraordinarily absorbed into her thoughts at the expense of eating. Furthermore, she dislikes photos which could be a reminder of her unattractive form.
Sumire’s life after Quitting College
K reports, “She was living in a one-room apartment in Kichijoji where she made do with the minimum amount of furniture and the maximum number of books. She’d get up at noon, and take a walk around Inogashira Park in the afternoon, with all the enthusiasm of a pilgrim making her way through sacred hills. On sunny days she’d sit on a park bench, chewing on bread, puffing one cigarette after another, reading. On rainy or cold days she’d go into an old-fashioned coffee house where classical music played at full volume, sink down into a worn-out sofa, and read her books, a serious look on her face as she listened to Schubert’s symphonies, Bach’s cantatas.In the evening she’d have one beer and buy some ready-to-eat food at the supermarket for dinner. By 11 p.m. she’d settle down at her desk. There’d always be a thermos of hot coffee, a coffee mug (one I gave her on her birthday, with a picture of Snafkin on it), a pack of Marlboro and a glass ashtray. Of course she had a word processor as well. Each key with its very own letter.” Sumire leads a modest life considering that she is not financially established after quitting college. Her existence revolves around nourishing herself for basic survival and reading. The apartment is her office and home because she completes most of the mundane activities there. Sumire’s partiality for ready food indicates that she does not have a liking for cooking. Her definitive end is to be a writer for she bestows most of her time to reading and drafting novels.
The Imagery of Miu’s Apartment
Sumire narrates, “Miu’s apartment is just a short walk from the restaurant. Not a very big place, but really lovely. A sunny veranda, house-plants, an Italian leather sofa, Bose speakers, a set of prints, a Jaguar in the garage. She lives there alone. The place she and her husband have is somewhere in Setagaya. She goes back there at the weekends.” Based on Sumire’s explanations, Miu’s apartment is impressively furnished and more refined than Sumire’s. The furnishing of Miu’s apartment is an indicator of her financial stability which would empower her to afford classic appliances and fittings. Sumire is unquestionably attracted to Miu’s neatness.
