“In the superimposed photograph, the tiger would appear to be a blur or smear. In a microscopic quantum universe, governed by the principle of superposition, the tiger is the smear” p. 414.

Like the tiger, reality is smeared in A Tale for the Time Being. What causes all of the characters reality’s to smear together? Is it because they are all somehow connected through fate, time travel, Ruth/Ruth’s world doesn’t exist, Harry’s Q-Mu, or maybe quantum mechanics? Well, let’s check out the evidence for each theory.

1. Fate:

Ruth finds Nao’s journal.  When Nao’s journal goes blank Ruth is in charge of Nao’s ending.

The Jungle Crow leads Oliver and Ruth to discover Pesto alive. If it weren’t for the Jungle Crow they would have never found Pesto and he would have died.

2. Time Travel:

Ruth travels through a dream to convince Harry not to kill himself and that Nao needs him. Ruth also inserts #1 Haruki’s letters into his box with the intention of Harry and Nao to read. All of this becomes true and really happens; according to Nao’s once again filled in and changed ending.

3. Ruth/ Ruth’s world doesn’t exist:

“I mean if she stops writing to us, then maybe we stop being too” p. 344

“His voice seemed farther away now. Was it her ears or the storm?” p. 344

4.  Harry’s Q-Mu:

“Maybe it’s possible that in one of those worlds, Haruki #2 figured out how to build his Q-Mu and get objects in that world to interact with this one. Maybe he’s figured out how to use quantum entanglement to make parallel worlds talk to one another and exchange information” p. 395 -Oliver to Ruth

5. Quantum mechanics:

Was pesto meant to die? Was there another world created/already existing world where Pesto died?

“(For one crazy moment, I thought that monograph I found online might even be yours, but it vanished before I could discover who wrote it)” p. 402- Ruth to Nao

“Well maybe that’s the wrong way to put it, but I’m thinking that if everything your looking for disappears maybe you should stop looking. Maybe you should focus on what’s tangible in the here and now” p. 232- Oliver to Ruth about Quantum element.

Conclusion:

So that’s a total of five theories as to why all the characters reality’s are smeared together. Do you think one theory is more arguable than another? Or maybe you’re thinking of another theory that is not listed….Wait, what if…. you’re reading this and then it just disappears? What would you say? What would you do or think? Would you think it has to be quantum mechanics? Or maybe there just simply is no answer at all…Oh, but there is always an answer to everything, even the seemingly impossible, some would say.

The theme of age has been a consistent, yet under the radar theme in A Tale for the Time Being, appearing mostly throughout pages 204-304. Why this part of the book in particular? Because this section is when Nao is arguably having a coming of age, and even some of the other characters as well….and maybe even a ghost character; Nao’s great-uncle, Haruki #1.

“Something was wrong. I didn’t want to be rude and stare, but I couldn’t help it. He looked like a younger version of my dad, only a couple of years older than me, but he sounded different, and the clothes were all wrong, too.  And that’s when I figured it out: if this ghost who had answered to my father’s  name wasn’t my father, then he must be my father’s uncle, the suicide bomber” p. 213. When Nao first meets Haruki #1 he is the same age as when he died. He also does not talk to Nao very much, kind of similar to how many younger people feel defensive and keep to themselves. But later in this book’s section Haruki #1 opens up to Nao like a mature adult. “Is that you?” I whispered as softly as I could. “Haruki Ojisma…?” They gave us rifles. They showed us how to use our big toe to pull the trigger. How to lodge the tip of the barrel in the V of our jawbone so it wouldn’t slip…” p. 240. Clearly the way in which Haruki #1 is talking about death is on the same level as a very mature adult. So mature, the intensity of the topic and his description of suicide would scare most teenagers.

Maybe Haruki #1 did or didn’t have some sort of coming of age as a ghost, but I still think it’s a pretty cool theory. Wouldn’t you agree?

Nao, the main character in A Tale for the Time Being, is forced to deal with many losses which have happened during her teenage years. These losses include her father’s mental and financial stability, her old life back in Sunnyvale, California which included her high status in school, loss of direction for her future, an emotional loss of family, loss of identity, and perhaps her own loss of mental stability. Connected to last week’s theme of death, Nao uses death as a way to cope (or to not cope) with her losses, and then later (around pages 168- 195) begins to use her great-grandmother’s symbolism of comfort and her techniques to emotionally cope instead.

After realizing Jiko’s powers in getting her to open up, Nao begins to accept and cope with her anger issues. ”Try it. Go to the water and wait for the biggest wave and give it a punch. Give it a good kick. Hit it with a stick. Go on. I will watch” p. 193- Jiko to Nao. “I got to my feet and attacked again and again, and each time the water crashed down on top of me, grinding me against the rocks and covering me with foam and sand. I didn’t mind. The sharp cold felt good, and the violence of the waves felt powerful and real, and the bitterness of salt in my nose tasted harshly delicious. Over and over, I ran at the sea, beating it until I was so tired I could barely stand” p. 193. In regards to this particular technique, Jiko is teaching Nao how to release her anger in a safe, healthy way. And it seems to be having a positive affect on Nao.

Towards the end of this weeks’ reading, Nao expresses her love for Jiko; which shows a massive improvement in Nao. “I was still thinking about what she said about waves, and it made me sad because I knew that her little wave was not going to last and soon she would join the sea again, and even though I know you can’t hold on to water, still I gripped her fingers a little more tightly to keep her from leaking away” p. 195. The only other person Nao has ever truly loved is her father. And when her father’s mental stability went out the door, she felt like what’s the point in loving someone if there just going to go away. But with Jiko in her life, a person who represents all the good things the world has to offer, Nao’s heart is softening and she both unconsciously and consciously comes to care deeply for her (Jiko).

The film Mississippi Masala is categorized most popularly as a romantic comedy. Should this really be the case though? Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t find the film that funny or light-hearted. It’s interesting to see that Wikipedia and many other internet pages describe the film as a romantic drama instead. First let’s look at the difference between these two categories.

Romantic Comedies:

1. Usually has some sort of conflict or funny barrier keeping the lovers apart, normally solved near the end of film, and thus the characters can then be together.

2. Are known to have lighter content, and audience is rarely ever put in the position of worrying about the characters feelings. These films normally have light happy endings, where everything works out.

Romantic Dramas:

1. The obstacle keeping the main characters apart isn’t always solved, or even if it is, characters may never reunite.

2. Contains emotionally heavier storylines, such as affairs or life threatening illnesses, and are overall darker. Sometimes one of the main characters does not get a happy ending.

Ok, so after going over the differences between romantic comedies and romantic dramas, I would say Mississippi Masala does not fit into either category. And let me tell you why….

1. Yes, the film had some funny moments to it, but the storyline seemed a bit heavy to be considered a romantic comedy… Like Mina’s family along with the rest of the Ugandan Indians/South Asians being kicked out of Uganda (despite the film wanting and not wanting sympathy for them), the problems separating Mina and Demetrius were a mix of racism, gender relationships in communities of color, effects of post-slavery/emancipation experience, and post-colonialism (just to name a few); does that sound funny or like a light issue to you?

2. Similar to a romantic comedy, the main characters solved the conflict near the end of the film, and fortunately no one died or had a tragic ending. But on the other hand, the main characters didn’t exactly have a happy ending. Demetrius’s cleaning business and reputation was ruined, therefore he had to start from scratch, and both Mina and Demetrius felt forced to leave their loving family’s behind.  Yay, they got to be together, but was it really a happy ending?

So what do you think? Do you think Mississippi Masala was a romantic comedy, a romantic drama, or neither?

In A Tale for the Time Being, the main themes consist of time, death, abandonment/running away, communication, place/environment, and identity. I am choosing to blog about the theme of death, because in my opinion the idea of death is what primarily carries Nao’s story along. One of the most important scenes that incorporate death and power is when Nao contemplates killing Daisuke. Both characters actions, thoughts, and beliefs are highly influenced by “just ending it all.”

First, let’s analyze Nao. She makes the conscious decision to wait for Daisuke in the alley, who is another “pathetic” kid that gets picked on at school. The sight of him makes Nao so mad she gains enough energy to easily take him down. “Honestly, it felt great. I felt great. Powerful. Exactly the way I’d hoped I would feel when I fantasized about getting revenge…. I pulled his head up and held the little kitchen knife to his throat.  The knife was sharp, and I could see the vein pulsing in his spindly neck. It would have been no effort at all to cut him. It would have meant nothing” (Ozeki, p. 102). Clearly, Nao is emotionally disturbed. She has been pushed to the point of fantasizing about revenge and not even caring about killing Daisuke. She feels disgusted by him because he is a constant reminder of her own hellish life; especially of why she is treated so horribly by her classmates. By killing Daisuke, she is essentially killing herself, or at least the part she hates. ”No matter what I chose to do, for this one moment I owned Daisuke and I owned his future. It was a strange feeling, creepy and a little too intimate, because if I killed him now we would be joined for life, forever, and so I released him” (Ozeki, p. 105).  Nao doesn’t kill Daisuke because she realizes killing him would connect their misery and also the reasons of why they’re “pathetic;” doing opposite of what she wants. In the end, his murder would merely make the part of herself she hates grow.

Interestingly enough, death even motivates Daisuke’s actions. With the knife to his throat, “Daisuke moaned. His eyes were closed, but his mouth was slack and his face was strangely relaxed. A small drop of saliva dribbled from the corner of his chapped lips. He looked like he was smiling” (Ozeki, p. 105). Daisuke’s smile and overall body relaxation serve as evidence of what’s going through his mind at that moment; he wants to die.

Once again, Nao’s thoughts are driven by death but also a disturbed sense of empathy when Daisuke tells her, “You should have just done it” (Ozeki, p. 105). “I watched him for a while. I felt sorry for him, because I knew what he meant, and I even thought about offering to do it again, but the moment was gone. Oh well” (Ozeki, p. 105). For a second, Nao feels empathy for Daisuke and wants to take his pain away without actually getting anything in return. In Nao’s disturbed mind, and at this exact moment, killing him would be just like giving him a gift. However, for whatever reason, just as fast as her empathy formed, it quickly drains away.