吉子さん

Yoshiko's purpose in the novel The White Boy Shuffle is much more than just being a "mail order bride". She becomes a powerful companion to Gunnar by exposing him to Japanese literature and culture. Through this exposure, Gunnar develops a new, more complex view of his world. Further, Yoshiko's exposure to western culture (initially through Gunnar's poetry) and the English language have allowed her to develop a strong relationship with her new husband.

Upon meeting and getting married, Yoshiko defends herself against Betty and Veronica successfully, thus winning their approval as opposed to fighting with them outright. This display of confidence gives Gunnar and his family more confidence in their relationship. Gunnar's world seems to open up literally and figuratively the moment Yoshiko touches Gunnar's anus for the first time. The newlyweds are off to college together, a place full of possibility (even though we end up seeing Gunnar being pretty disappointed). After a hard day at class, he returns to his dorm butt naked and falls into Yoshiko's lap. Her response is very casual, revealing that their relationship has risen to a much greater level over the course of their time together.

What makes this scene interesting is how casual she remains throughout the bizarre events. Her behavior in part is what makes people uncomfortable with the novels course, as her apathy adds a sort of surrealism to the novel that people don't expect. 

Yoshiko's behavior illuminates how comfortable she and Gunnar have become over the few weeks they've known each other. As mentioned in class, Yoshiko's constant butt poking is one of the many twists on stereotypes the novel presents. Typically, African American males are supposed to be extremely masculine, however this kind of behavior between Gunnar and his wife is emasculating him in a way that makes the stereotype not fit quite right. 

By the end of the scene, with the help of his entire Writing 104 class, Yoshiko has convinced Gunnar to publish a book of poetry.

Yoshiko's most important influence may come from her letters to Gunnar while he's away playing basketball. She sends him traditional Japanese literature that creates a new perspective for Gunnar. Of course, the literature resonates with him because he's a nerd who loves to read, but it gives him an idea of what other philosophies there could be in the world. Eventually, the most relevant ideology he receives from Yoshiko is that suicide is not giving up, but a defiance against the enemy. 

This idea drives the end of the novel, as countless people begin sending Gunnar death poems before the commit suicide, in haiku format. Japanese death poems were written by samurai before committing sepukku by cutting their abdomen and bleeding to death. It was considered honorable as opposed to pitiful.

Yoshiko provided Gunnar the information he needed to drive the movement, however when Gunnar believes it is time for him to commit suicide she is violently against the idea. She cries out that she knew Gunnar would leave her with a baby to care for on her own. Ironically, the only Japanese character in the novel is against the Japanese suicide method that is sweeping the nation! It is hard to say whether Yoshiko is against the idea of seppuku as a whole, or for her family in particular. But there is no doubt that Yoshiko played a pivotal role in the novel. 

*The Correct Protest Novel*

The prologue in The White Boy Shuffle gives a very sinister reality in which black Americans have given up all hope of achieving equality. For a novel written far closer to the present in relation to the three others we’ve read in class, I’m not so surprised this one seems more aggressive in its tone. With swear words and dark imagery, the novel starts out with a setting that pulls the reader in.
The novel comes after the civil rights movement, which was a time full of change and hope for African American equality, yet it was met with assassinations and true equality was still kept from protestors by the racist white establishment. 

Even today, our American society has a long way to go before we reach true social equality. It is not a new epidemic that officers have been killing black Americans over minor offenses. The media has been giving these crimes more attention, and the Black Lives Matter movement has gained a lot of momentum, which are great steps, however these have not yet changed the fact that the officers more often than not receive no punishment for their actions, and justice, in many cases, in not served. (EDIT think of Rodney King all the way up to Michael Brown and the countless others who have become victims) Even today, in 2016, the prologue of The White Boy Shuffle may have some sort of point. I’m not saying its hopeless, nor am I saying that suicide is the way to go when things are looking rough, but try to imagine how it must feel that after hundreds of years of a fight for something so simple — to be treated like humans with human rights, to be treated the same as any white person — it must get really old when so many people refuse to listen. The prologue seems to be asking “What’s the point?” when one of the most important values of the American constitution “liberty and justice for all” fails an entire race of people…

It’s a very dramatic contrast with Invisible Man, in which the narrator’s protest is individual. He doesn’t seem to be making that big of a difference in the big picture, but what matters to him is his personal defiance. Also, for some reason, the narrator really enjoys the American constitution and is totally jazzed by the Founding Fathers. Not to say Invisible Man isn’t a great novel in terms of protesting the white establishment, these two novels just take very different stances on how to successfully protest I guess? I think Native Son is closer to The White Boy Shuffle's prologue because of the futility expressed in both. Considering how aggressive Richard Wright is about ****THE CORRECT PROTEST NOVEL**** I'd like to see what he thinks of The White Boy Shuffle, and the prologue especially. There is definitely a possibility that The White Boy Shuffle has taken inspiration from both novels, and may be making commentary on both of them in order to add a modern contribution to the protest conversation. 

       I can't wait to see how Gunnar grows up to become the radical leader he says he is. Let me know what you think of the prologue! Do you think its reflective of some of the attitudes of post civil rights protestors? Do you think post civil rights activists felt, and possibly still feel that they need to make an even larger statement to make a change?