The Book The Lake Concentrates on Realism - Essay Example

?Realism Vs Fantasy Affiliation Realism is a genre used in the literature where a story is told in more truthful terms. In realism object, persons and environment are represented as they truly are without being represented or idealized in any form. They are presented typically in the form that they actually are. Fantasy on the other hand, is a genre of fictions state that uses supernatural and magic to represent its ideas. This usually happens in the imaginary world. The book ‘The Lake’ uses the genre realism to bring out the plot and present its character. The book ‘The Lake’ concentrates more on realism than it does on fantastic elements. We wonder why the writer used realism more than fantastic as a theme. This is not to say that it does not have elements of magic. Chi and her brother Mino are seers who foretell about the future. These are magic elements seen in the book. However, the writer does not completely concentrate on them for the reasons that are given below. The theme realism is more used in the book for purposes of developing the story. Magic elements, however, still aid to give the whole story a meaning and a direction. Realism is presented in the book ‘The Lake’ by Banana Yashimoto, in the sense of a sad story that brings two people together to look for consolation in each other. Yashimoto personifies herself to be the narrator. She narrates the story in the name of Chihiro. Chihiro has lost her mother; the only person that she truly felt loved her. The love that she received from her mother opens her heart to reject any fake love. She says ‘My body still remembers that feeling even now, (Yashimoto 2005). She says that she was brought up well, yet there is something’s that the writer lacks in her world. Realism dominates in the book and uses the narrator’s real life and what has really happened to him. The writer says that the narrator misses the feeling of being loved like that again. This is a fact of the whole story. She was not recognized by the family's father, and she was an illegitimate child. Her mother and her father were not married, not because her father had married earlier but because her father’s relatives would not let him. They were the problem. Her family though tried to keep up, and they were always together. The narrator says that her father was more at home than away in his business. From the writer’s description, we can tell that they were happy. She told her mother that they were happy together, and they did look lovely together ‘her mother and her dad’. The only weakness they had was that they were not ready to fight for their love. The theme of realism brings out well how it is hard for the narrator when she goes through pain in trying to recover herself back from the loss of her mother. She is young, and it becomes hard for her to deal with situations. She goes away to study in Tokyo where she is away from all the home drama. It pains her so much that she no longer has a home to go back during the holidays. She feels all alone in a dark world with no one to lean on. She at one time, dreams with her mother, and it brings her memories back. She misses her. She remembers her like a little girl. This was because she probably looked innocent. She remembers her mother’s club. It was, she says, particularly comforting and at the same time oppressive. Paradox is used to show that the club was the only place left for the narrator to remember her mother and that is why it comforted her. At the same time, the club made her oppressed because she knew that her mother was gone, and she would never see her again. The writer uses realism to explain the relationship that exists between her characters. She does this intentionally to show that the Japanese world has abandoned its citizen. The whole story is all symbolic as the writer uses two characters that are emotionally weak and have no one to support them. They lean on each other for support. Chihiro and Nakajima become sweethearts because they share the same world. They practically live in the same world and share a common infliction of pain. They found themselves drawn to each other and felt more comfortable in the others company. The narrator says that she was still a child, and she still needed her parents. This is because she was weak emotionally and found a comforting heart in Nakajima. Realism also brings out well the fact that narrator did not feel love for Nakajima, probably surprise or shock. This can well be explained with the fact that it was not the narrator’s choice to be with Nakajima, but the situation had found her to in that position. The narrator says Nakajima had rolled right over him and was dragging her along with him. The narrator did not like her history, and being with Nakajima detached her from history. Chihiro used irony to describe Nakajima and said that Nakajima was odd, and whenever she looked at him, she was ready to run away. She was with Nakajima, yet she admitted that he was odd. She would not even explain why she was with him. Despite all this, being with him made her feel better. It was the mere need for care and attention that brought the narrator close to Nakajima, after all Nakajima gave her the attention that she did not get from anyone else. Realism plays an important role in convincing people that the major events are occurring in the current world. The book ‘The Lake’ continues to develop the narrator and her boyfriend. Chihiro was getting closer to Nakajima day by day. Nakajima visits more often and then opens his heart to her. Nakajima had gone through a bitter past. The writer uses suspense to develop the character of Nakajima. We are eager to know what actually happens to Nakajima. When the two discuss sex one night Nakajima gets highly emotional, and Chihiro is left with no choice but to comfort her. Another paradox is used. Chihiro is not strong enough to comfort Nakajima, but she does it anyway. From our own perspective, we expect the opposite, after all men are believed to be stronger in society than women. Nakajima cries like a baby and Chihiro cannot help but pity him and she even felt remorseful about his bitter past. The lake brings peace to the two. Magic does not actually exist, but it does in the world of Chi and her brother Mino. They are using their powers to help them keep going, and they represent the river that brings inner peace. Chi has her name in the short form of Chihiro bringing us to wonder why their names are so close. Chi may be another representative of Chihiro even though not directly. The two, however, share something in common. Chi is weak and bed ridden and so is Chihiro, who is weak emotionally after the loss of her mother. Her mother was the only person who loved her in a true way. Chi has her brother who takes care of her just like Chihiro’s mother took care of her when she was young. Realism helps in maintaining originality. The writer has used certain words like ‘chai and bozo’ to maintain originality. In Tokyo, Nakajima and Chihiro goes out for ‘chai’ and when Nakajima calls her former boyfriend ‘bozo’, it makes her happy. She laughs at the mention of the word. The writer uses flashback to introduce Chihiro’s boyfriend who, according to the story, was mean. He was mean and into sex which was not what Chihiro needed at the time. Reality here appears in the form of sex. She needed love and understanding after losing her mother. The only person who seemed to understand her well enough was Nakajima. She felt at ease being around him. Nakajima was very kind to her and introduced her to the river, the ‘cure’. They two were remarkably close to the thought of being inseparable. Chihiro shuddered at the thought of getting separated from Nakajima. Therefore, many books use realism as it is easy to create something to be a reality rather than look as from a world of fantasy. ‘The Lake’ is a book that has a sad theme and involves the reader into it emotionally, as well. The writer uses this to intentionally draw the reader’s mind and feelings to the book. Realism seems to be a proper way to do that. If the writer were to use magic and the fantastic theme, she probably would not deliver her message. She chooses to do this with a hope to deliver her message well to the readers. Chi and Mino are not fake seers, but representatives of the cure. They are a help to the community that seem inflicted. Reference Yashimoto, B. (2005). The Lake. In The Lake. (1st ed.). (pp. 1-234). Plymouth Street, Brooklyn: Foil Company Limited. Read More