FORGING IN THE LOSS OF TRADITION

BY MADISON MCKINNEY

“The Paper Artist” by E.K. Ota is a short story written about tradition being lost to a young girl, Mana. She has come clean about having a child out of wedlock with a foreigner. A person who does not belong amongst her people. Throughout this story Mana forges through the loss of tradition she causes. Within the first moments of the story, we see just how important tradition and values are to Mana’s family. The father of her child is completely oblivious to what is going on with her and her family. Through him constantly asking her what is going on the distance between the two of them could not be more different. Allowing for there to be a wall built between them. “The Paper Artist” defines the relationship Japanese people tolerate amongst foreigners. Throughout this short story there is a line drawn between Mana and her people because of a mistake she made. “The Paper Artist” represents the relationship people have to their traditions, how their elders relate to these traditions, and how traditions can be challenged by the next, new generation of Japan.

Throughout “The Paper Artist”, there is a respect drawn on the traditions held in Japanese culture. Within the first page of the story. The father of Mana knows she has brought shame upon their family through her actions. However, the men of Japanese culture are supposed to be an image of control and calm. “His shoulders were still; she knew that if he had turned to meet them, she wouldn’t have seen anger flashing in his eyes, his face contorted with rage. Her father was the master of control. He could sit seiza for hours” (Ota 80). Mana’s father was a government official. Having gained this position through the mastering of calm. With seiza being a part of meditation. It represents the nature of meditation being part of Japanese culture. Tradition can turn a stubborn man to hold onto his pride. “For it was his pride on the line now, and it stung him that he disregarded” (Ota 85). When an elder holds a stance to stand by tradition, their pride becomes part of the stance. Through this pride and tradition, Mana’s father would not go to see his daughter married or to meet the grandchild that was made out of wedlock. The tradition within Japanese culture is used for accountability within the community (Kehrwieder). Therefore, the people within the community turn their backs on those who break or go against tradition.

The respect that elders have within Japanese culture have always been valued amongst their people. Young children always want to please them. Once those children become adults, they do not stop trying to please them. Elders are the staple of the Japanese community. Through the respect of elders, Japan was rebuilt after tragedy and war. Though respected elders in this culture are the men. The wives respect their husbands. Along with the children respecting their grandfathers and fathers. Through this Mana always wanted to make her father proud from a young age. Always looking for his approval. However, her father used her creations to make some of his own. Dominating her creativeness in the process. “Instead of offering a comment, though, he had lifted the blade that was already in his hand and began to rapidly slice slivers and strips of paper until the wind chime was almost completely cut away. He’d created a bird” (Ota 81). However, she would never say anything out of respect for her father. When discussing the child she was carrying her words would never make an impact. Instead they would change how she felt about the situation entirely. “In the low, dim room, Mana raised her voice in protest, but hurling words at her father was as satisfying as throwing stones at water. He didn’t turn around. He continued to stare out at the garden when she started weeping and her words choked with tears, he asked her if she was done” (Ota 81). With that there was no more room for discussion on the matter. With him being the head of the house he would not respond to her protests because she was deemed to simply respect him. She was not to argue with him any longer.

Even with tradition and respecting the elders, Mana found a way to forge a new and change the future of tradition. She would not let her father dictate her future any longer than she had to. “This time she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of turning her weaknesses into a pitiable parade” (Ota 81). Mana would begin to challenge the traditions of her people. She runs off with the father of her child. She would then be married. She forged her own life breaking out of the tradition she was boxed into. She raised her child with the father. Before they were married, she would have the child. She didn’t mind being with a foreigner even though it went against everything she was raised to believe in. She broke free and created new traditions that were her own.

However, with her forging a new path and breaking tradition her mother would not dare to follow. They would keep in contact but she would not visit or attend the wedding. By doing so she was still respecting her husband and his pride the way she was raised to do so. “At the kitchen table, Masako didn’t say anything else. Her Husband was a stubborn man. She knew better than to suggest that they go to the wedding: they would not visit America, and they would not see their grandchild; her husband would never relax with his pronouncement even if he was tempted to revise it” (Ota 85). Even though what her husband said goes as part of respecting her husband and being the woman of the house. She had her own rebellion. She kept in touch with her daughter. She wrote back and forth accepting the pictures that were provided by her daughter. She did this even though it would have been frowned upon by her husband. In a way, Mana and her mother are both fighting and forging their own paths through tradition.

Not all of the modern women of Japan want to be confined to being a housewife. There is so much more that these women want. Some don’t even want to have children or be married at all. There are plenty of women who want to have their own paths amongst their community. Many of these women want to break free of the office lady stereotype and create their own equal opportunities within the workplace and community (Roberts).

“The Paper Artist” by E.K. Ota is a short story worth reading. It allows for a new insight on Japanese culture. Through this story a different understanding of Japanese tradition is formed through the eyes of the modern woman. Along with the story of the generation that has come before her. Breaking through and forging their own paths and traditions within the Japanese culture. The relationships between tradition and the elders of the community are connected. Along with the idea of breaking free from those elders and traditions. “The Paper Artist” perfectly captivates the essence of creating one’s own traditions.

Work Cited

Ota, E.K. “The Paper Artist.” EBSCOhost, 1 September 2022, https://web-p-ebscohost-com.cwi.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=b02ee7c6-5713-4de4-a816-7ecde1dc2a84%40redis

Kehrwieder, Sierra “Japanese Women in the Workforce: Tradition versus Equality.” Scholar Works Seattle, 24, p. 27. Scholar Works Seattle, https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=etds-intl-std-theses.

Molony, Barbara. “Feminism in Japan.” Asian History, Oxford Research, 24 January 2018, https://oxfordre.com/asianhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277727.001.0001/acrefore-9780190277727-e-194.

Roberts, Melinda R. “Japanese Gender Role Expectations and Attitudes: A Qualitative Analysis of Gender Inequality.” ProQuest, Journal of International Women’s Studies; Bridgewater, August 2019, https://www.proquest.com/docview/2292914119?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals. Accessed 16 November 2024.