Societal Norms In Kitchen By Banana Yoshimoto

Banana Yoshimoto’s novella, Kitchen, depicts traditional Japanese societal norms in the late 1980’s. Conventionally in Japanese culture the grieving process is not dealt with and tends to be skipped over. Yoshimoto demonstrates the effects of feeling as if emotions are taboo, and how other activities get substituted in for grief during the time after a death. Yoshimoto exhibits such societal norms through coping mechanisms amongst Japanese youth. The author critiques Japanese culture and manipulates the characters to communicate her views on certain Japanese traditions. Yoshimoto goes on to further her stance that the grieving process should be normalized in japan, by explaining thoroughly how the depression and sadness can damage a person,

Yoshimoto addresses her views on dealing with emotion in a Japanese society, precisely grief, in the scene where Mikage waits for her food at a restaurant. Yoshimoto explains how it feels for Mikage to not be able to openly express emotion or not be able to share her sentiments with someone she is comfortable with. “Now I felt really alone at the bottom of a deep loneliness, that no one could touch.” (p.92) Yoshimoto uses Mikage to express that when one cannot properly face their true emotions they feel like they are trapped and cannot escape. “that no one could touch” exemplifying that they feel like they are alone in the world and no one can help them out of it. In Japanese society, it is not traditionally accepted for people to grieve with others, amongst others, or with others. As an expectation, when dealing with an emotional event, a person must suffer in silence. Yoshimoto uses Mikage to delve into these problematic Japanese traditions and bring awareness to such issues, that could potentially lead to depression and other matters. “I’ve got to pull myself out of it soon. The two of us may be in