Mod B

Question 1

Unreliable Narrator 1

Answer 1

“stands out from all the others nearby… you may find yourself wondering what sort of wealthy man owns it.”
non-linear narrative structure causes memory and thereby truth to become fractured as ono grapples with his past trauma
selectively reshapes the past more favourably
typifying the post-modern rejection of a singular, controlling narrative
reader questions veracity of ono’s accounts he praises his house, metonymic for his status

Question 2

Unreliable Narrator 2

Answer 2

“it was 1931 when the present lines began to operate”
ono’s elision of Kenji’s “hopeless charge across the minefield” of the 1931 invasion of Manchuria
ono excuses and dissimilates propagandistic guilt within Japan’s misguided past
‘gaps and silences’ in ono’s narration suggest how ono’s self-deception acts as a means to evade his painful past

Question 3

Unreliable Narrator 3

Answer 3

“Numerous changes” that Ms Kawakami observes and Ono’s insistence that “her little place looks much the same”
juxtaposition
Ishiguro’s symbol of Ms Kawakami’s Bar reflects how ono seeks comfort through his selective idealisation of the past
highlights the innate human tendency to delude the self and cling nostalgically to a glorified version of the past

Question 4

Intergeneration Conflict 1

Answer 4

ono’s observation that Setsuko’s “visit this year was so brief”
metaphorically conveying a cultural shift from traditional values of loyalty and respect within a hierarchal family structure towards the Western model of the insular nuclear family
influence of this Americanisation is reflected by shift in familial values

Question 5

Intergeneration Conflict 2

Answer 5

“its better Ichiro likes cowboys than that he idolises people like Miyamoto Musashi”
ono’s character foil of suichi underscores the younger generation’s rejection of traditional cultural values
signals erosion of traditional Japanese values of deference and hierarchal responsibility, symbolised by Ishiguro’s historical allusion to samurai Musashi, and the increasing adoption of American values of freedom and independence
disjunction in cultural values evokes Ishiguro’s liminality between Japanese and Western values following his early migration to the UK

Question 6

Intergeneration Conflict 3

Answer 6

“sending brave young men to die for stupid causes, and the real culprits are still with us”
intergenerational hostility is amplified by the older generation’s refusal to admit responsibility for their past
suichi’s condemnatory tone contrasts ono’s resolute perspective of Kenji’s brave death (contrasts new generation’s outlook on the war)
ono’s unwillingness to accept accountability as he grasps onto past ideals and the Bushido sacrificial tradition

Question 7

Inability to Change 1

Answer 7

Ishiguro’s metonymic “Hirayama Boy” who is “beaten up” and labelled an “idiot” by the younger generation for singing “old military songs”
mirrors Japan’s revisionist attitudes
juxtaposed with Ono’s metaphoric representation of “Hirayama Boy” as “quite harmless”
ono’s unwillingness to revise his identity and condemn the nationalistic beliefs he once espoused

Question 8

Inability to Change 2

Answer 8

“bridge of hesitation”
motif
ono’s inability to accept change relegates him to a liminal position of indecision
ishiguro’s belief that individuals experience increasing disconnection and alienation if they are unable to adapt to changing societal milieus
ono’s reluctance to change and adapt his cultural values and he is hesitant to embrace new post-war Japan

Question 9

Inability to Change 3

Answer 9

“One can only wish these young people well”
optimistic tone in the novel’s denouncement
ironically subverted by Ishiguro’s sinister historical allusion to the Korean War in the chapter title “June 1950”
despite younger generations efforts to absolve Japan of its past mistakes, political violence with each generations inevitable (cyclical)
enduring value of text as interpretations of ambiguity of change throughout different generations is timeless