Chris+Hwa+DEJ

//Affectionate// (141) Gentle //as smooth as oil, as smooth as an underwater dance// (142) twitched, switched. Shattered was the wall that set her apart, from humanity. and so had the mask, the veil, the silk.

The stanza of the poem demonstrates Fusako’s metamorphosis and change becoming nicer and open after developing a zealous relationship with Ryuji. Once Fusako met Ryuji, she became more “affectionate” and “gentle”. The simile of Fusako’s gentleness to be “as smooth as oil” and “ smooth as an underwater dance” further demonstrates the extent in which Ryuji has influenced Fusako. “Oil”, is slippery and able to let conflicts slide and have a smooth flow. She doesn’t lock Noboru in his room any more and is much less strict than she used to be. The diction “underwater” relates to the sailor Ryuji, which further illustrates her deep connection with him making her “smooth” and nicer in life. Fusako’s connection with Ryuji “shattered the wall that set her apart from humanity”, making a dramatic change to Fusako’s life as she becomes more friendlier and more emotionally open to the world. Ryuji’s arrival has broken the barriers that Fusako has set up, allowing her to go through a metamorphosis to become more emotionally reliant on Ryuji. She leaves behind “the mask, the veil, the silk” which are symbols of femininity and her past where she was man less. She had to be independent, owning her own business and raise a child alone. The objects of femininity are then “shattered”, as Fusako welcomes Ryuji into her business and into her life changing who she was in the past to become more emotionally open.