"We had been sitting at the picnic table for several minutes when a voice made us look up. The American woman came striding across the clearing, a broad smile on her face. Without the least sign of bashfulness, she sat down at our table, smiled to us in turn, then began to address Sachiko in English. She was, I supposed, grateful for the chance to communicate other than by means of gestures. Looking around, I spotted the Japanese woman nearby, putting a jacket on her son. She appeared less enthusiastic for our company, but eventually she came towards our table with a smile. She sat down opposite of me, and when her son sat beside her, I could see the extent to which mother and child shared the same plump features; most noticeably, their cheeks had a kind of fleshy sagginess to them, not unlike the cheeks of bulldogs. The American woman, all the while, continued to talk loudly to Sachiko."
(Ishiguro 113)
In this passage, Etsuko remembers the time in which she met an American tourist traveling with her Japanese friend. She assumes this appearance that suggests consideration towards those around her when she "smiled to [Etsuko and Mariko] in turn", but then completely disregards the pair after the greeting. Similar to how a person would interact with an animal, she acknowledges the presence with a simple gesture and then continues to focus on what she perceives as an equal. Yes, she is trying to communicate with someone "other than by means of gestures", but she is also a tourist. In this sense, she should be attempting to immerse herself in the culture, rather than latching back onto her original roots. In the very least, she should aim to understand more clearly. The passage goes on and shows how she has a very basic and slightly misled understanding of the Japanese language when she "uttered loudly several times the Japanese word for 'delicious'" (114) and this exemplifies how she has endeavored to explore the culture but still ultimately fail. It can be assumed that she failed in understanding the conversation prior to seeing the sketches of Mariko, so it shows how she pompously assumes comprehension and interjects her opinion when it is unwarranted and inappropriate textually wise.
The Japanese woman takes on a different persona: the non-American assimilating into American culture. This is evident in her appearance--her "fleshy sagginess" or chubbiness that is typically common in the American stereotype and uncommon in Japanese culture, is even compared to that of a bulldog a western and to a further extent American breed. Her "less enthusiastic" display towards Etsuko and Mariko shows how she does not wish to interact with people of her own nationality. This attempt to abstain from interaction and adjust to fit another culture captures the concept that the idea of a superior race has been ingrained into the minds of those who have lost in the war. As mentioned later in the story, many Japanese have adopted this "defeatist" attitude in which they no longer feel pride in their own race.
What I think about when reading this, is about how people go to a zoo in order to see the animals, but they are not allowed to interact with them, because of the difference in species. On another note, as stereotypes go, Americans go to other places, and/or encounter others from different races and act differently. There are many misunderstandings because of the difference in language and customs; as these differences appear, the relationship between people can evolve to hate and also, to the need to separate themselves from the “negativity” of their own culture.
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