Asako Serizawa The Visitor

“The Visitor” by Asako Serizawa tells the story of the horrific actions of World War II and the aftermath that left millions of people wondering where their loved ones were and if they did indeed survive the war. Serizawa described these horrific events through the use of symbols to make the reader think about the bigger meaning behind the text. Symbolism gives the reader more to think about than just the words on the page and allows for deeper thinking. The short story discusses a woman whose son, Yasushi, who got deployed as a Japanese soldier during World War II in Japan, and does not return home at the end of the war. When a Japanese soldier, Murayama, visits the woman 's house he brings with him a piece of paper, a photo album, and the

Serizawa first mentions the paper within the first paragraph of the short story, as Murayama clutches the piece of paper when he enters the woman’s property. The piece of paper symbolizes the acknowledgment of the truth. Serizawa built up suspense within the short story by not describing the writing on the paper until about halfway through the story. When Serizawa finally decides to describe the paper, she states: “[t]he paper was brown, shiny with wear, and I resisted looking at it as I poured the tea” (424). This hesitation helps build the suspense and makes the reader question what is on the paper and why Murayama has not told the woman why he carries the folded piece of paper with him. Finally, he allows the woman to see the paper which “was soft, the worn folds releasing a leathery smell, and at once I saw that it was my son’s handwriting, [...] releasing a swell of memories that soon crested with gratitude for this scrap of Yasushi that made it back” (427). This realization made it clear to the woman that Murayama met Yasushi while waiting for deployment. Knowing that Murayama knew Yasushi, the woman knew Murayama shared truthful information about her son. Although she has memories of Yasushi and his belongings, this paper was the last thing he wrote before he passed away. Now the woman feels grateful because the paper has reconnected her to her son. Yasushi had given Murayama his name and

Murayama brings with him a photo album that shows the horrific actions of the war, “the photographs showed fewer rows of soldiers, their individual faces becoming clearer, the background changing to show slivers of fields, runways, harbors” (430). This quote shows the woman the awful conditions the soldiers were going into and how many soldiers passed away during the war. Murayama continued showing the woman more of the photo album he brought with him until he got to “Yasushi’s photographs, mostly portraits in persistent repetition, some exhibiting a clear development, a growing promise [Murayama] could not bear to witness” (432). After Murayama left the woman’s house, the woman cleans before her husband comes back from work and looks at the vase and sees that “[t]here in the bottom was a photograph” (432). This particular photograph showed “one visible arm raising the bayonet, his face, angled and therefore whole, sending a bolt of shock through [the woman]” as she recognized her son Yasushi (433). Murayama had placed a photograph of Yasushi in the bottom of the vase, which causes the reader to question why Murayama hid the photograph instead of just giving it to the woman. Photography plays an essential role in the short story and the author even uses foreshadowing techniques, when the speaker states “he appeared like a photograph negative