Essay Questions

How do the last lines of “The Bracelet” connect to the primary originating theme of the story overall?

The bracelet is a metaphor used to symbolize author’s oft-stated purpose for writing the story: so it won’t ever happen again. The story was originally published in 1976, only thirty-five years or so after the real-life events which stimulated the story. As a result, there were plenty of people still alive to tell their stories and pass down eyewitness accounts to future generations. With each passing years, the population inches closer to that moment when the last living person who was actually interned one of the camps will pass from the earth forever and when that happens the only way to guarantee the story is never forgotten is through second-hand written accounts, both historical and fictional. The originating theme of the story is all about keeping memories alive even as the physical manifestations of those thing being remember are lost. The finals thoughts recorded by the narrator speak directly to this purpose as she recalls the pain of having so quickly lost the necklace gifted by her friend the last time they saw each other: “I guess she was right. I’ve never forgotten, Laurie, even now.

Why would “Tears of Autumn” be considered a strange title for this story?

With the exception of the word November in the very first line, there is no direct reference to the title anywhere else in the text. Autumn does not appear and neither does fall as a means of situating the setting’s time period. Even so, that one single appearance of “November” is a like bonanza compared to any mention of tears, crying, weeping, sobbing or any other synonym. To put it plainly: there are no tear of autumn in “Tears of Autumn.” The title is therefore intended to be interpreted metaphorically to imagery which describes the mood of Hana in the weeks leading up to that initial appearance of standing at the railing of the ship in turbulent seas of November in America.

In “Gombei and the Wild Ducks” what is the initial response of the title character to having been transformed from a human into a duck himself and how does this differ thematically from most western fairy tales?

After setting a limit of trapping just one duck per day, Gombei’s response to aging is to try to capture one-hundred ducks in a single day which will afford him the opportunity to rest for the next ninety-day. He is turned into a duck himself in retribution for this offense against living things. Transformative magic in most fairy tales by western writers is usually met with fear and a commitment—sometimes taking the form of the plot itself—to find a way to reverse the transformation. “The Frog Prince” is perhaps is the most iconic example as it all about the frog trying to return to his natural state of humanity. Gombei’s immediate fear and confusion very quickly turns into a very Zen-like acceptance of his fate: “If I am to be a wild duck, I must live like one.” This very calm acceptance of incredible circumstances even extends to quietly accepting his fate as fair punishment for his transgressions which is also in distinct opposition to the general thematic template of the western fairy tale.