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Post by Ariella crisano on Sept 8, 2015 21:48:10 GMT
At first the ending seemed very short to me. It was almost as if the story needed to be continued. It felt very wierd that nothing had happened, no obstacle, no conflict or anything. I didn't care much for this story because of that. I understand it is a short story, but I feel it was made shorter without the normal obstacles and conclusions that stories usually have.
As for the story of k-san family meeting him at the gates, I thought it was very strange, but not unheard of. There are often stories of loved ones, especially mothers, having a sixth sense for knowing when there loved ones are in danger. I think his story shows that unseen bond between family, especially a mom and son. He was nowhere near her and never even called out, yet she somehow knew that he needed help. Without this anecdote, the whole story would just be a random collection of thoughts.
Discussion question: it's clear that k-sans story is the main point of the whole story so Why would the author set up a whole other back story with all these other minor characters instead of just telling k-sans story?
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Post by Mina Kaneko on Sept 10, 2015 2:18:05 GMT
It is an interesting decision, to make K-san the main storyteller within the story. The narrator is more of an observer. All of the actions within the story are simple moments in the mountains, observing the nature or their surroundings (the weather, the travelers, the fire, the worms). Then there are the stories within the story that most often K-san tells, like the goblin or the near-death experience climbing the mountain in the snow. He also is the character that knows the most about the surroundings. I'm still puzzled by the point of view, and I also am not sure I'm won over by any of the characters in the story. I wasn't invested in any of them, perhaps because of this dynamic of K-san knowing and saying much and the other characters only idly agreeing or passively admiring him. I'm interested to hear more of the context, however, that I might be missing.
I also wonder why S-san and K-san are only referred to by the first letters of their names, and hope there will be some more context for that.
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Post by Mina Kaneko on Sept 10, 2015 2:51:29 GMT
I also think, because nothing dramatic happens narratively, this puts much more emphasis on the nature in the story. And thinking about the Shinto gates that K-san has passed while he's walking in the snow, and knowing his mother somehow miraculously hears him, gives the snow and the natural environment a kind of mystic quality, of spirits in nature, suggesting kami. The characters do have a reverence and respect for nature in the story which is characteristic of Shintoism.
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Post by qian lin on Sept 10, 2015 15:32:06 GMT
When there are other minor people in the story, we can see how these people's reaction to K-san's stories. For example, the narrator's wife cried after K san finished telling story. It is possible that the narrator's wife is touched by the experience of K san. We can see how others who might be minor characters in story react to K san's experience. The story of K san might be the main part of the story. The orther might want to make readers know that the human interaction is also important in our life.
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Post by I Lam on Sept 11, 2015 1:43:31 GMT
I think the feeling this story was meant to give was not one of great plot, but one where the reader becomes an invisible member of the group of friends on one of their normal days. It's like a story for a rainy day, where the speaker fondly recalls the events of a day from his past, leading up to the interesting tale he heard. Doesn't the backstory set up quite the atmosphere for K-san's story? That it was told by a bonfire, in the mountains after a good trip after dinner simply makes his story that much more enjoyable, like the role of seasoning in food.
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Post by Hiba Rashid on Sept 11, 2015 2:31:45 GMT
I can understand your point of view, but not every story has to follow the traditional norm. Personally, I appreciate the author's choice of telling a story that is similar to our daily lives, in that it is not always full of extremely exciting events. I further appreciate the author's decision to use a nontraditional narrator, a friend who is simply observing the "real" protagonist. In literature, it is not often that we find an outsider as the narrator.
Since this story is influenced by ideas of Shintoism, I believe that all the characters and their environment is relevant. All of the people in this story are in sync and at peace with nature. They are at peace with the kami (spirits) that live in nature and that is reflected in the back story the author provides. K-san's story was only one example of how one could experience Shintoism and the power of kami.
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