A Day in Little Tokyo - Quotes

Quotation 1: "The car was hot and Chisato began to perspire—no way to remove her bathing suit—so she got out and leaned against the side of the door. She remembered a family friend who lived in the very middle of the whole block, smack dab in the center, enclosed by the back walls and fences of the businesses on four streets. Her family had visited this friend now and then, in her small wooden frame house, with its large vegetable garden in front of the house and an outhouse in a corner of the garden. But she couldn't go there—the woman, who was about her mother's age, was a Nisei but she seemed to speak mainly Japanese. Chisato didn't quite grasp the connection—the parents of the woman had come from the same village in Japan as her parents—And what would the woman do if Chisato appeared on her doorstep? Laugh at her, no doubt. She was a pretty woman who laughed a great deal. She was always at the yearly village picnics which were held at places like White's Point or Elysian Park." (Yamamoto 119)

Analysis: In this quote, Chisato is again shown as being alienated from other Japanese Americans. She doesn't feel comfortable approaching the woman because she is a Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) and speaks mainly Japanese. Chisato, on the other hand, is a Sansei (third-generation Japanese American) and speaks mainly English. This difference in language and cultural identity makes Chisato feel like she doesn't belong.

Quotation 2: "Chisato peered at the protuberance on Shuzo's forehead. It reminded her of the man in the comedy they'd seen the last time they'd gone to Moneta to see a Japanese movie. It wasn't a Charlie Chaplin comedy this time, but about a lady and her husband going camping. The lady seemed to be doing all the work, unloading everything from the car and pounding the tent stakes with a mallet. She walked jerkily around the tent and came around to the front, where she saw her husband already sitting down to enjoy the view. She brought the mallet down on the man's head, whoomp, and a huge balloon sprouted from the top of his head." (Yamamoto 121)

Analysis: In this quote, Chisato is comparing her brother's injury to a scene from a Japanese comedy film. This comparison is significant because it shows how Chisato is trying to make sense of the accident. She is trying to find a way to laugh at the situation, even though it is a serious one. This is a coping mechanism that Chisato uses to deal with the trauma of the accident.

Quotation 3: "It should have been a moment of triumph for Chisato. But she, still weak in the knees and still aware of the strange sensation in her stomach, knew it was not that simple. She knew it was because she had taken the pennies from the man with one leg." (Yamamoto 121) 

Analysis: In this quote, Chisato is feeling guilty for taking the pennies from the man with one leg. She knows she should not have taken them, but she did anyway. This guilt is a reflection of her own sense of shame and self-doubt. She is ashamed of her own poverty and her inability to provide for herself. She is also doubtful of her own worthiness and her place in the world.