In the short story,“The Family Supper,” Ishiguro reveals a questioning conclusion of a father suspected of poisoning his family. Ishiguro uses literary devices such as dialogue, symbolism, and imagery to describe the Fugu.
In the beginning of the short story, Ishiguro uses dialogue when the son’s father states, “you must be hungry.” The father repeats himself excessively which makes the protagonist wonder if his father has poisoned his mother. His father also confesses that his mom’s death had not been natural but rather suicide. This seems suspicious due to the fact that the mother had not seen her son in a few years. Mothers tend to love their children above all and even though, it seemed like there was some kind of disagreement between the narrator and his mother, it’s suspicious that she didn’t even set peace with him before her death.
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The fugu represents death because it is described as poisonous, hideously painful and almost fatal. “The fish has held a special significance for me ever since my mother died through eating one”; The narrator’s mother ate the Fugu fish and died. This could also mean that the Father is trying to poisoned them, for he cooked amidst soup with strips of fish.
Additionally, Ishiguro uses imagery to portray the father as someone threatening. Having heard the father is becoming a good “cook,” makes the son wonder if his father poisoned his mother. Originally men in Japan rarely cook, the mothers are always there to attend the child's needs. So it is rare that the father is becoming good at “cooking.” The narrator also states that after supper was over his father “stretched out his arms and yawned with an air of satisfaction,” this could mean that he knew he was about to rest for eternity and his family would be coming with