Genre
Urban fiction
Setting and Context
Set in 1993, in Tokyo (Near the Ueno Station)
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is intense, and the mood is gloomy.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is Kazu Mori and the antagonist is Emperor Akihito.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between Mori and his life. According to Mori, life is unfair to him for no specific purpose because he spends his entire life as a homeless man. Mori does not remember the day he spent with his family, and he blames life for his misfortunes.
Climax
The climax comes when Kazu meets with Shige in his camp. Mori is glad to learn that he is not the only person regretting his life. Shige has similar predicaments, and this puts Mori at ease with himself.
Foreshadowing
The death of Mori's wife foreshadows the hard times and regret he is suffering from.
Understatement
There is an understatement when the author says that the homeless people are happy when they are chased from the park for Emperor Akihito to take a ride.
Allusions
N/A
Imagery
The conversation between the two old women in the Art Museum depicts the sense of hearing. Mori listens to their conversation, largely about their family's tribulations, which sends him into a reflective mode. The imagery represents Mori's regrets about leaving his family to suffer in his absence.
Paradox
The main paradox is that the emperor orders the homeless people to be removed from the park without providing alternative residences where they can have a comfortable life. Ironically, what the king does is ride across the park to be cheered by the homeless people.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Dish is used as a metonymy for a plate of food.
Personification
The ghost is personified when the author says that Mori is living like a ghost.
