Asian Studies: Takahashi Mutsuo’s “The Snow of Memory”

This is a story that provides a wide view into not only world history but also Japanese history. It also gives us a glimpse of the cultural inclinations of Japanese families. It takes a biographical note as it talks about the experiences of the author, Takahashi. It is a clear presentation of what the author experienced as a young boy during the late nineteen-thirties and the early nineteen forties when his country was going through turbulent political times because of the Second World War.This is a story that provides a wide view into not only world history but also Japanese history. It also gives us a glimpse of the cultural inclinations of Japanese families. It takes a biographical note as it talks about the experiences of the author, Takahashi. It is a clear presentation of what the author experienced as a young boy during the late nineteen-thirties and the early nineteen forties when his country was going through turbulent political times because of the Second World War.

The starting point is the birth of the author followed by the death of the father and then the irresponsible disappearance of the mother from the family home. She actually pursues another relationship with another man while the children, including the author, are left alone in the home.

To start with the history, the story captures the moments of the Second World War when Japan was bombarded by its allies. Therefore we are able to understand the distance that today’s Japan has traveled through time. The destruction that was ensured from the war and the impact on the family structure all come clean in the story, whereby at some point the mother to the author had to move the family out of harm’s way as a result of the military conflict.

Moving on to the cultural nature of the Japanese people, we are given a view of how people within the family behave. After the death of the author or narrator’s father, the mother decided to move away to have another relationship with another man. During this time, the children were left without parental guidance. They had to rely on the extended family for care. This shows the recklessness of some members of the family in Japanese culture. The expected behavior is that once one parent is dead, the remaining parent should stay close to the children so as to not only provide for them but also guide them. But the narrator’s mother does the opposite.