Chizuko Sakata as a Mother

decides to extrude Kaoru for harassing her daughter, Aki. Chizuko finds them kissing in the shed and she definitely cannot take it. KAORU.Chizuko- san, please let me explain. Please… CHIZUKO.“Please-please-please.” Don’t beg now Pack your things and get out she pulls shirts and things off the pegs and throws them on bed Yamauchi, 1996: 442 CHIZUKO. You thought you could fool me. You... you violated my trust. You violated my daughter KAORU. Vio...? I did nothing. Believe me, I did nothing. AKI. It’s not his fault CHIZUKO. I’ll fix you. I’ll get the police KAORU. Be reasonable. Let’s talk this over. CHIZUKO. I said out Tonight. Now she pulls Aki downstage Yamauchi, 1996: 443 Chizuko refuses to listens to Kaoru’s excuses, she insists on sending him away. In this play, Kaoru’s presence brings disturbance to Chizuko’s family. In The Music Lesson, Chizuko seems to be interested in Kaoru. Since Aki has fallen for him, she and her mother are often engaged in a quarelling as Chizuko does not like if Aki sees Kaoru until late at night. The restrained atmosphere of politeness to which the family is accustomed then suddenly fades away as Kaoru’s coming, Aki seems no longer to respect Chizuko because she starts arguing what Chizuko tries to tell her. Chizuko is disappointed with Kaoru, that night she loses all her respect toward him. Chizuko used to think that Kaoru will bring some sort of changes and reliefs to her family but it does not turn out as she expected. KAORU. Believe me. I mean no harm… CHIZUKO. What did you do to me ? KAORU: I’ve made no pretenses. From the beginning, I told you…. Chizuko stops him before he says the terrible words that would prove how foolish she had been to dream. CHIZUKO. I trusted you, I trusted you. KAORU. I’m sorry. I didn’t betray that trust. Tonight I… I had too much to drink. I know that’s no excuse … CHIZUKO. Get out. Get out KAORU. I have no money. CHIZUKO. I’ll give you money she starts toward the house dragging Aki with her Yamauchi, 1996: 443-444 Chizuko being a persistent and protective mother is not only out of a great disappointment with Kaoru but also a responsibility as a mother to protect her daughter, Aki, from anybody who tries to mess up with her. The quarrels between Chizuko and Aki indicate that, in fact, Chizuko mostly shows her concern for her daughter over her sons. That is why when it comes to harass her daughter and disrupt her family, Chizuko persists not to listen to any excuses, she will do anything to keep the family peaceful. Chizuko spends most of her time to work hard for her family. It seems that throughout the play she is depicted as a work-oriented woman. Even so, a rigorous life does not make her fail to play the role of a good mother, she is a caring and mother, a care-taker who always pays attention and makes sure her children will grow up well. In the act two scene one, Chizuko expresses her worry about Aki going home alone, CHIZUKO. What’s matter with you, Ichiro? I told you to walk together. You’re the oldest and... TOMU. She ran away from us, Ma. ICHIRO. God, she’s a big girl now. I can’t watch her all the time. CHIZUKO. I want you to walk together. I told you that. Anything can happen. ICHIRO. Like what? CHIZUKO. Anything. Snakes, scorpions .. Yamauchi, 1996: 430 Chizuko scolds Ichiro for letting Aki go home alone, she insists that they have to walk together and protect each other in their way home. However, Ichiro thinks that Aki is not a little girl who needs protection from her oldest brother since she is able to keep herself safe. Chizuko, of course, as a mother cannot take it. Her maternal instincts make her worry even over a little and insignificant thing. CHIZUKO. I hear myself: “Don’t do this; don’t do that. Wear your sweater; study hard ...” I try to say other things: “How smart you are; how pretty you look ...” but my mouth won’t let me. I keep thinking, life is hard. I shouldn’t let them think it would be easy. KAORU. That’s true. CHIZUKO. Well, they’re used to me like I am. If I change now, they’d think I went crazy. KAORU. The important thing is, you’re here. It’s no good without a mother, Chizuko-san. I know. Yamauchi, 1996 : 428 From the dialogue above, it can be learned that the way Chizuko communicates her concern for her children is slightly different. She does not speak like a mother who is described always speaks softly and delicately to her children to convey her love. She prefers to say it in a short and flat way because it is already Chizu ko’s intention to teach her children to be a life fighter. She refuses to show her love too much because she does not want to give an impression that she spoils her children. Furthermore, Yamauchi also presents the Japanese mother uses the guilt feeling and threat of abandonment as a social control over her children. It is when Chizuko finds Kaoru and Aki are kissing that upsets her a lot. She sends Kaoru away that night but Aki insists to go with him. CHIZUKO. pulling Aki away You know what you are asking for? From town to town ... no roots ... no home ... nothing. Maybe one day, he’ll get tired of you ... throw you out ... leave you in some dirty hotel for another fool woman. Think, Aki. And you’ll come crawling home ... AKI. I’ll never come home I’ll never come back to you You’re not a mother. You’re a witch CHIZUKO. Witch? Who you calling witch? Someone who sacrificed a life for you? AKI. You didn’t sacrifice for me. Yamauchi, 1996: 444 CHIZUKO. in a towering rage Annngh Go then. Go Go You’ll find out. And when things get rough, remember tonight AKI. I’ll never forget. CHIZUKO. You think you know all the answers. You think everything’s so simple. You haven’t even tasted pain yet. You’ll find out. Yamauchi, 1996 : 445 Chizuko tries to tell Aki that she already sacrificed everything for Aki. By acting out this way, a mother wants to encourage the guilt feeling of her children, a child should not mistreat her mother who gives birth to her. Chizuko as a traditional mother, she claims how she has been suffering for all this time for her children’s sake with hopes of Aki will feel guilty and follow what her mother wants her to do. Through Chizuko, we can also perceive how the practice of the threat of abandonment is performed. She gives Aki images what may happen if she leaves home with Kaoru. Chizuko attempts to tell Aki how it feels to be abandoned and not to be cared for. Chizuko convinces her that there will be nobody who loves and cares for her like her mother.

B. The struggle of Chizuko Sakata as an Issei widow

After analyzing the characteristics and the roles of Chizuko Sakata in the play, in this part the writer would like to analyze how her struggle as an Issei widow in California is seen from postcolonial feminist perspective. Moreover, the struggle of Chizuko Sakata is examined in a specific sphere therefore the writer can do a deeper analysis and interpretation based on postcolonial feminist point of view.

1. The Struggle to Maintain the Native Culture

a. Gender spheres and gender roles

Even though she has lived in California for years, Chizuko still carries a Japanese culture which is very patriarchal with her. Being raised and educated within such culture, Chizuko surely already gets used to it and it influences how she perceives acceptable roles of men and women. The day when Chizuko meets Kaoru Kawaguchi for the first time becomes a crucial point to prove that Chizuko sees ‘working hard’ as male nature. CHIZUKO. Well, we never know how it turns out. Sometimes it’s good; sometimes, bad. A lot depends on weather, prices ... things like that. Besides ... she looks him over shamelessly. I need a man who can work like a horse. KAORU. Ma’am, I know how to work. I come from peasant cock. Yamauchi, 1996 : 407 When Chizuko is conversing with Kaoru, she says that she needs a man who can work like a horse. From her utterance it can be learnt that Chizuko assumes physical powers to be the basic essence of man. She expects to get a good harvest as the farm work is done by a man, there will be a huge difference among man’s work, woman and children’s work. Chizuko finds it hard and exhausting for a woman to do plowing alone, therefore she needs a man whom she believes was born as a worker. CHIZUKO. I’ve been thinking ... ah, wondering how you would feel about ... what you think about staying on ... on this farm, I mean. With us. she waits; Kaoru is silent I mean, share profits ... a partnership. KAORU. I don’t have money, Chizuko-san. CHIZUKO. quickly Oh, you pay nothing. I mean a joint venture. More or less. This farm is too much for a woman alone and I ... Yamauchi, 1996 : 427 She thinks of Kaoru as a man who is physically stronger than woman and expects a better result from the work of a man. She assumes that it will be much easier if there is a man who can help her run the farm. Chizuko expresses how actually she tired of her life, showing that she requires a partner to work, somebody to share and to discuss many things. In addition, eventhough Chizuko Sakata seems to be a tough and independent woman, there is a moment when she really need someone who is reliable during the hard times. In act two scene two, for instance, Chizuko asks Kaoru whether they should irrigate the farm p. 432, it implies that Chizuko also sees man as a primary decision-maker, she feels like she has to ask for Kaoru’s consideration as if she cannot decide it by herself. From this finding, it is obvious that Chizuko also perce ives ‘decision-maker’ is one of male traits. Moreover, it also depicts her state that is still colonized by patriarchy even though she is now far away from Japan. She does not feel objected about that