A Pale View of Hills

I would like to write about A Pale View of Hills, where the narrator seems unreliable, as she is retelling memories that she might have made up. Memories that are out of order and incomplete when it comes to the life of Mariko. When reading the book, the relationship between Etsuko and Mariko seems odd, and assuming that Etsuko is infact Sachiko, things make much more sense, as to why Mariko would be acting the way she does towards this Woman  (who may have a personality disorder). The novel is seen through the eyes of Etsuko, and once we make the connection between her and Sachiko, her memories   have to be examined and criticised, because we will never really know what is made up, and what has been repressed (dark events were told, but yet, we were left with questions about what Mariko was exposed to). 

"Yes, of course.” Mrs. Fujiwara kept looking into my face. “But I meant you looked a little miserable.’ “Miserable? I certainly don’t feel it. I’m just a little tired, but otherwise I’ve never been happier.” ‘That’s good. You must keep your mind on happy things now. Your child. And the future.”

 “Yes, I will. Thinking about the child cheers me up.” “Good.” She nodded, still keeping her gaze on me. “Your attitude makes all the difference.A mother can  take all the physical care she likes, she needs a positive attitude to bring up a child.” -A Pale View of Hills

This conversation [above] between Etsuko and Mrs. Fujiwara, which talks about how expectant mothers must be, shows how happy they seem, and how their only concern is the future of their families and the well-being of the babies. When all that has happened in Japan, a woman is expected to rebuild and only worry about keeping their children innocent. Based on historical knowledge, this novel portrays women as the future and therefore, they believed they had to maintain a certain level of sanity throughout the horror and obstacles. When we look at the actions and feelings others have had on the women and each other; the bomb was justified in order to bring peace. The people affected were supposed to get over this incident, and as a matter of fact, they were believed to be “okay”, as nothing major had happened. Women were seen as the future, and as a result, they had the pressure to remain as beautiful “virgins”. In the case of Etsuko, we can see that her life was affected and not only that, but the life of her older daughter as well. What stands out, in the passage, is that Mrs. Fujiwara, who is at an advanced age, is the one who is thinking about the future and the idea that all one needs to bring up a child through war times, is to remain positive. Women were not supposed to dwell in the present, when they had to deal with their children. In the passage, Mrs. Fujiwara thinks it is strange that she looks miserable, and yet, she is told that she could not be happier. The conversation seems to talk about, or insinuate, that she does not physically look well, but that all will be well if she remains positive. The denial that this woman feels about not being affected, makes it hard to further believe what these people are saying, since they cannot be honest with themselves.