Morning Rain (1952) by Hisaye Yamamoto Analysis Essay PDF

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A literary analysis essay on the short story Morning Rain (1952) by Hisaye Yamamoto as practice in AP English Literature and Composition...

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“Morning Rain” Analysis Essay In the short story “Morning Rain,” author Hisaye Yamamoto depicts the interaction between Sadako, her father, Mr. Endo, and her husband, Harry, during one of Mr. Endo’s visits from San Francisco. Through the breakdown of communication, Yamamoto addresses the generational disconnect between Mr. Endo, an issei--first generation immigrant, and Sadako, a nissei--second generation immigrant. In the excerpt, Yamamoto’s use of flashback and paradox serves to highlight the language barrier between Mr. Endo and his son-in-law and the generational divide between Sadako and her father, illustrating the strained relationships within the family due to their lack of communication.

Commented [1]: good!

The paradox revealed at the end of the story further demonstrates the strain between the father and daughter due to the inability to communicate inherent in their generational divide. In the passage, Sadako, who has married an American and grown up in the United States, feels that she cannot relate to her traditional Japanese father. She believes that he does not listen or hear her, metaphorically, resulting in a tense relationship between the two. However, by the end of the story it is clear that he has become deaf, physically unable to hear her. This paradox is representative of the emotional chasm between the two, serving to emphasize how the two are unable to communicate properly and the deterioration of their relationship. The lack of communication between the two is primarily due to their differences in experiences and the paradox highlights how these differences act as a near physical barrier between the two, impeding the possibility of resolving their strained relationship.

Commented [2]: evidence? We need evidence to support the analysis

The use of flashback in the story establishes the insurmountable divide between the Japanesespeaking Mr. Endo and English-speaking Harry. Due to their limited ability to speak the other’s language, it is shown that the two rarely converse, any attempts typically rapidly devolving into strained, uncomfortable silence. This difficulty in speaking presumably translates to a similarly stilted relationship, as the two appear to have little in common other than Sadako and the cultural and linguistic divide has prevented the two from establishing anything approaching a close or meaningful relationship. Since the two are “as far as communicating with each other [is] concerned, incompatible,” Sadako is left

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attempting, and failing, to bridge the gap, ultimately resulting in painfully tense and awkward meals and further contributing to the strain between Sadako and her father.

Commented [3]: Ok, you have 1 piece of evidence here Make sure you are pulling evidence from your close reading that you can analyze for the writing assignmen...