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Lemon
Oct 22, 2015 5:37:17 GMT
Post by Cindy Xia on Oct 22, 2015 5:37:17 GMT
Lemons are usually described as sour and bitter when consumed. This is very similar to the narrator’s life in which it turned sour and bitter. His life before he became sickly was full of liveliness and happiness. But now, everything to him seemed colorless and bleak. The narrator even mentioned that he loved to spend time in Maruzen when he was healthy but as time went by, he distasted the place. The place that was like a sanctuary to him was now an oppressive, stifling place (150). On the other hand, the color yellow represents happiness and courage. Once the narrator purchased the lemon, he felt unusually happy and that the ominous mass had grown lighter the moment he had grasped the lemon (151). It seems as though the lemon was helping him feel much better. We read that he became much livelier and motivated after his purchase and every time the narrator thought of the color yellow, he’d become excited. Compared to the color red and blue, yellow is easier to spot in a group of different colors. Similar to his life, he felt that his life was too dull like red and blue and by having some yellow in it, it may brighten his life a little bit.
Discussion question: Why does the narrator want to escape to a faraway place where no one knew him?
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Lemon
Oct 22, 2015 23:33:00 GMT
Post by qian lin on Oct 22, 2015 23:33:00 GMT
I think the author might want to find something exciting. He might get bored with his current life and he wants to find something new to become more fresh. Lemon brings him freshness by it color, smell and texture.
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Lemon
Oct 23, 2015 3:43:43 GMT
Post by Teng Lai Chang on Oct 23, 2015 3:43:43 GMT
I think the narrator wants to escape from the crowded, complex, and multifaceted city of Kyoto to a more peaceful place like Nagasaki because he wants to leave his past behind. He wants to leave his weak, illed self behind and start anew and fresh. At the end of the story, the narrator is looking forward to the destruction of Maruzen by the help of the lemon, and the lemon represents the end of her old life and start of a new self.
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