Yamamoto

From what I gather, Hisaye Yamamoto’s “Seventeen Syllables” speaks volumes about the struggles of Japanese natives who immigrate to American. I’m not sure in what time period this story takes place, but after a quick Google search, I found that Yamamoto was born in 1921. I think it’s also important to note that she was born in California. She was a second generation immigrant.  During and after the time of her birth, it was very difficult for any Japanese natives to immigrate to America. Rosie’s mother is exemplary of that struggle- she could not move to America without being married to an American citizen. And so, she was wed to a man she didn't really know or love.

 I believe the most important piece of the story to analyze is the social commentary provided on the dichotomy between Rosie, who is a second generation immigrant, and her mother, who is a first generation immigrant. Their relationship, or sometimes lack there-of, symbolizes the disconnections that result from the barriers that rise between first and second generation immigrants, usually pervading in the form of language. Evidence to support such a claim comes from the beginning of the story where it states “Rosie knew formal Japanese by bits and starts, and her mother had even less English, no French. It was much more possible to say yes, yes” (Yamamoto 22). The “Yes, Yes” is something Rosie says to her mother throughout the story when she doesn't fully understand something but does not want to talk about it either, presumably because of the aforementioned barriers (usually language). It almost comes across as passive-aggressive. This lack of connection between Rosie and her mother is introduced very early and left to sit until the ending.

                 The ending was very interesting to me. It exemplified the same struggle between first and second generation immigrants, though not through the medium of language. Instead, the end used the medium of cultural norms to articulate the disconnection between Rosie and her mother. In American, people tend to associate “love” with “marriage”. This is why when Rosie’s mother tells her never to get married, Rosie immediately thinks of Jesus, the person she loves. When her mother is yelling at her, it claims “Jesus, Jesus she called silently, not sure whether she was invoking the help of the son of Carrascos or of God” (Yamamoto 38). (Absolutely brilliant quote, in my opinion). However, Rosie’s mother does not associate “love” with “marriage”, which I believe is a representation of many of Japanese Immigrants. Because she could not marry the person she loved (who also loved her) in Japan due to her low socioeconomic class (a characteristic also usually ignored in America with relation to the concept of love), but instead was forced to marry someone she did not love, she does not make the same association that Rosie does. Because of this cultural barrier, Rosie cannot understand her mother’s take on love and marriage, nor can her mother understand the way a different culture has impacted Rosie’s take. As a result, Rosie, perhaps passive-aggressively or perhaps out of a want to please her mother, pretends to understand her mother’s plea with the phrase “Yes, yes, I promise”.