Mikage, a young girl in Banana’s story “Kitchen” is the main actor and many situations revolve around her. Her predicaments are brought out in simple and understandable situations. Having been left alone by the only last relative she had, her life seems to be filled with grief (Dorson 54).
The death of her grandmother has closed the door to all her hopes in life. But, this is just for a short while. Her life seems to take a different toll after meeting this boy Yuichi. The use of a young lady in this story brings out emotional effects after a tragic loss that would describe the destiny of the girl.
This invitation by Yuichi’s happens to be a great transition to the life of Mikage. The theme depicted in this story at first is death which acting as a point of transition for a young girl Mikage.
Having been left alone, she finds comfort at Yuichi’s family who seem to have developed a lot of interest in her. The relationship between Mikage and the new friend can be foreshadowed. Their connection seems show focus of their destiny.
Mikage’s story can be translated to Japans bubble economy. This story written at the time when Japan was having economic breakdown clearly describes the mind of the writer. Economic breakdown in Japan can be compared to the death of Mikage’s grandmother. It is at this time that Japan needed a savior to counteract the recessive nature.
The combination of grief and recovery makes Mikage act as a template for sure hope of boom for Japan. The bad times of Japan only required a ray of sure hope for the status of the country.
The protagonist actions of renewed love and warmth acted as a sure method of recovery for every reader in Japan whether in politics, business, school and the entire social sector. The appreciation of the writer of the story in reviews attracted more interest hence a paradigm shift in the thoughts of people to positivity using a feminist approach.
On the other hand, in “Spirited away”, also written in a political context shows loss of value and identity with a further stress on capitalism in Japan. Use of a female child as characters in the story depicts the essence of curiosity and canning behavior of young people.
The story revolves around the need for young power for revitalizing the spoiled economy (Gauette 13). The deserted area in the story that Chihiro and her parents find themselves in is compared to the status of Japan that has deepened in mass recession with banks collapsing, properties losing value and the mega crashing of the stock market.
Having a 21st century flow, the story focuses on the need for innovation that can only be accomplished by young and canning minds.
The use of feminisms in both stories depicts production and fertility towards creating new structures and erasing the dark past. Having young protagonists also show the necessity of growth and not end of advancements. For instance, Mikage’s life is awakened by love after a tragic loss of the only relative. She finds solace in the hands of Yuichi’s family.
Her love for kitchen is seen by her admiration of Yuichi’s kitchen and promises even to do more exemplary chores no matter the type of kitchen she finds. On the other hand, in order for Chihiro to save her parents, she works at a bathhouse despite the negative notion of her new job.
All these actions are geared towards saving the situation. The capitalism in Japan relates to the status of Chihiro’s parents. They have been turned into swine to pay for the negative actions of the spirited world. The questions entails these issues touches on reforms by the current government and provision of a basis for nurturing the young generation.
The young people should be empowered with knowlegde to be able to tackle the problems caused by the old generation. Chihiro is an example representing the young generation. On the other hand, Mikage represent the middle edged generation. Her story done immediately at the start of the bubble was a remarkable teaching and encouragement to the Japanese who had lost hope.
Conclusion
Both stories have a Japan traditional setting. Mikages’s story is in simple written context while Chihiros story is in a film form coupled with current technology inclusive of animations. In the “Kitchen” the theme depicted show love, recovery and destiny while “Spirited away”, the major theme is on the education system and the transition and advancement of knowledge from old to young.
All these themes focus on the recovery from loss. The space in timings of the two stories depicts the different forms of resolution strategies that Japan needs to employ for recovery of their fame economic wise. Therefore, use of young feminine character provides a sure way for the production and continuity of growth.
Works Cited
Dorson, Richard. Japan Legends and Political System. Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, 1983.Print.
Gauette, Nicole. “Old and New Japan in a Novel”. Christian Science Monitor 10.1 (1998):13-15.Print.