Before the Coffee Gets Cold Lesson Plan

Discuss the symbolic nature of the letters (from Kumi to Hirai and from Fugasi to Kohtake) in Husband and Wife.

Strong responses will note that the letters play a symbolic role, serving as vessels for unspoken emotions, reconciliation, and the complexities of human connections. Based on her comment to Kei about her parents not being angry anymore and other context clues, Kumi's letter to Hirai likely is an attempt toward reconciliation. Fugasi's letter to Kohtake expresses that he does not want her to stay with him out of sympathy as his illness progresses. Both letters symbolize the difficulty of directly communicating complex and heavy emotions. Both Kumi and...