Focus on the Nao: Satisfaction, Disappointment, and the Past in Ozeki's Novel Anonymous 12th Grade

Life has many unanswerable questions: What happens after death? Is love at first sight a myth? And what happened to American Idol season 5 winner, Taylor Hicks? Rumor has it, Hicks now spends his time as a co-owner of a barbecue restaurant, reminiscing on his former success. In all seriousness, Taylor Hick’s fall from fame brings about a true unanswerable life question: when one experiences their version of fulfillment—their peak, can they ever be as happy again? In Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being, characters Ruth, Nao, and Harry Yasutani long for their happier past. Once in pure satisfaction, everything now feels like a disappointment; this is manifested through their lack of productivity.

Though Ruth immerses herself into Nao’s journal, she is not doing much more than that. A self-proclaimed novelist, Ruth has experienced significant writer’s block since she moved to the island. Though living in a house chockablock with books, she still craves her old life: “Ruth missed the abundance and diversity of urban libraries, their quiet spaciousness” (Ozeki 11). Although she has a loving husband, a loving pet, and friendly neighbors, she will never be content with living on the island. With that mentality, she is at a...