Kyoko Mori depicts a tale of loss and distance in Stone Field, True Arrow. Life is torn between two worlds for Maya, the heroine. Is it easy for Maya to love and achieve happiness? What prevents Maya to fulfill her quest? Discuss Maya Ishida’s journey trying to understand her ambiguous shifting life and comment on the author’s use of language.
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I’m so glad to finally start a discussion!
In the novel, Maya struggles with her everyday life for a variety of reasons. Mainly, she is confused. Her husband, her closest friend, and everyone else play a part in this confusion. I don't think Maya is abnormal for being confused. Although I have not yet finished the novel, from what I have read, her decisions do not necessarily reflect what she wants. She chooses things based on what is convenient, and what other people want of her. Maya unconsciously feels that she should be sacrificing her life for others. Sometimes, though, she acts radically different. With her husband especially she is very selfish. Maya finds it difficult to let her husband into her life, and therefore pushes him farther and farther away. She convinces herself that this separation is a good quality in their marriage. Her emotions play tricks on her, and they lead her to believe that she is not to blame for her failing marriage, among other things. These things are like a blockade to Maya. Because she is unable to see clearly, she has a slanted vision of her life. She is depressed and, I think, selfish. Since her childhood Maya put herself second, with her mother, boyfriend, or friend coming first. Until Maya sorts out her life, and finds out what she truly wants, happiness is impossible.
This is like the first assignment i turned in on time so i'm really happy to get it done.
I think that there are different reasons why Maya. Before i start i would like to give the definition of ambiguous which means permitting more than one possible interpretation or explanation, or uncertainty. She doesn't have her priorities straight. Not having your priorities straight can really mess a person up. It could eave you confused, angry, and stressed. What prevents Maya from completing her guest in life are the people in her life that are close to her. I think that the ones she cares for are basically using her. Also i've notice that her emotions play alot of tricks on her so that could be something else from letting her continue in her quest. In this book Maya show's a different side of her every time she is with a specfic character in the book. I have to disagree with Isabella if you are selfish you wouldn't put nobody before you. So that's why i think that selfish is to harsh of a word. But i do agree with her when she said Maya is depressed. But when she finds her true self and her priorities straight then she is gonna keep being depressed and other things of that nature. The language of this story really surprised me. I thought it was going to have a foreign language in it but i'm not finish so you never know what's in store for you.
It is definitely not easy for Maya to love and achieve happiness. I don’t think she was happy at the end. I wouldn’t be in the same situation. I agree with Isabella that Maya was selfish. I did not like her character at all. It was a miracle that Yuko forgave Maya at the end. A lot of people would have ended the friendship right there and then.
Maya prevents herself from being happy. She makes life way too complicated for herself. She was very mean to Jeff. I kind of liked Jeff until his tirade at the end, which was very mean to Maya and Yuko, but I thought Maya deserved it.
I disagree with Tiara that Maya’s mother was happy. I did not think she was happy. I did not think anyone in the novel was happy. Maya could have been happy with Jeff, but she could not commit to their marriage. I agree with Tiara that if they were not going to be happy, they should not have gotten married. The kind of marriage that Maya wanted just doesn’t happen. You cannot be “just friends” with your spouse. That kind of relationship can be achieved when the two people are not married. When the relationship inevitably ends, at least the two people will not hate each other. However, a marriage should be forever, not until the two people get bored with each other. Marriage is about combining two families to create a new family. I get the feeling that Jeff wanted the marriage to be serious and Maya wanted to just be friends. That just does not work and it did not work in the novel. Because of that, Maya could not be happy.
Well, I personally believe that it is very difficult for Maya to achieve love and happiness because of the fact that her father died and she is unwilling to let go of the past. Letting go of the past is important and helps us move on with our lives, whether we want to or not. Maya also needs to gain the courage to achieve love and happiness. She wanted to be an artist like her father, buy doesn't have the courage to express her feelings, and that is why she has a job as a weaver. As nick said, Maya is preventing herself from being happy, and is making life way more complicated than it already is. Maya is both selfish, and considerate at the same time. She is selfish, but sometimes she will put herself in situations that only benefit others, and not herself. It seems as though Maya needs someone to help guide her through her life, but in some ways she is pushing them away. She barely spends any time with her husband, so much that it seems he does not exist. I think that if she developed a better relationship with him, it will make both of their lives easier, even though their marriage isn't exactly thriving. Maya is torn from her memories of the past, causing her to become confused and depressed. She is confused about her ethnicity, because she is Japanese, but her mother tries to hide this fact and admit that she is only American. Another reason why it is hard for Maya to achieve love and happiness is because of her mother. Since her father is dead, the only close family she has is her mother. Her mother is self-absorbed and doesn't have a very good relationship with Maya. The way the story is portrayed by Kyoko Mori is very detailed and referential to the past.
I have not yet finished the book, but from what I have read so far, I enjoy the path which this novel is taking. The author Kyoko Mori uses some poetic language in her novel, but more than that she uses a lot of dialogue between either the characters with another character, or within one characters thoughts. In the beginning, Maya was not happy with her life, but she was somewhat content. She has a very safe but dull marriage as well as a job that kept her satisfied although it was not the job she had dreamed of having. When Maya’s father whom she had lost most contact with after she moved with her mother dies, Maya is able to step back and take a look at her life. She realizes that this was not the life she had wanted. I agree with Isabella when she said that Maya’s decisions do not necessarily reflect what she wants. Maya places herself after others and bases many of her decisions on what is most suitable at the time. I also agree with Nick when he said that no one in this book was happy. It seemed as though all the characters were depressed and gloomy. I also agree that Maya did not commit to the marriage, but I disagree that she could have been happy with Jeff. Maya was not ready for the relationship that Jeff wanted and she had too many problems to deal with of her own. I also disagree with Tiara because Maya’s mother didn’t seem to be very happy with her life either. All the characters seemed to be very preoccupied within different things.
I agree with Becky that we have to let go of our past to be able to move. It is one of the most important things to do in life. If we continue to hold onto the past, then we will never be able to live life to the utmost. It’s ironic that Maya’s father was telling her not to look back, but she couldn’t let her father’s death go.
I do agree with Nina that, because of what she wanted, Maya probably couldn’t have been happy with Jeff. They both wanted different things that neither of them could achieve. It seems to be that Jeff wanted their marriage to be like marriages should be: you get married, you have kids, you live happily ever after. Maya prevented this because she didn’t want to commit to that kind of marriage.
In recent years, most people take Maya’s stance. Over half of marriages end in divorce. There are some people who think the same way Jeff thinks. They just want to start a family. When the two different people end up together, they will be divorced. If a marriage does not become permanent, the couple will get bored with each other and separate. Maya and Jeff shouldn’t have gotten married if they were going to separate.
First I would like to start off by saying that this was a very good and amazing novel. When I first started reading this novel I thought it was going to be boring, but when I actually concentrated and comprehended it, I found it very good. As Isabella said, I am also glad to start a discussion on this novel. I think that it's not easy for Maya to achieve happiness and love. The horrible and painful things that Maya has been through in her past, has affected her now. In Maya's past, going all the way back to her childhood she went through a lot. In the novel Maya had received verbal and physical abuse, from her own biological mother. I think that has a lot of impact on Maya's life as an adult. I think Maya felt if she couldn't even receive love from her own mother, how could she love anyone else. I think Maya felt devasgstated if her own mother couldn't show her any love, or be compassionate towards her, then who would. This had an huge impact on Maya, because she felt that her mother should always be there to love and help her. Not only did Maya's mother prevent her to fulfill her quest, but also her father’s death. Since Maya's mother was never there to help her, she felt that her farther would always be there to be compassionate towards her. As far as the author's language, I thought it was very good. Some of the vocabulary in the novel I did not understand, but I used context clues to understand them. I liked how the author's language made me visualize the story.
I do not believe that it is easy for Maya to love and achieve happiness because of her past relationship with her father, Ishida Minoru. Maya would send letters to her father and he would send them back unopened, as a result of this she would be very brokenhearted. The relationship that she once had with her father is preventing her and Bill, her husband, from having a normal married relationship. Marriage is a sacred bond between two people who love and honor each other, but according to Bill and Maya it is more of a hello and goodbye association. I think they may have issues with trusting each other, but being married is a mutual thing, fifty/fifty. Bill is the type of man who only speaks when spoken to. Maya’s father dying was very tragic for her but she then realizes how they never developed a better relationship and how life is to short. Growing up with her mother in Minneapolis, she has been through many changes. I think that because her mother has had multiple relationships that have gone bad, it is probably reflecting in her marriage with Bill. Maya may not know how to be a wife because she learns from her mother.
I think it is hard for Maya to love and achieve happiness. For example, when she was at her show and she met Jim Paine. When her mother approached her with one of her friends, she began to feel uncomfortable. When she made a comment about her father to Jim Paine, her mother became very upset. Maya was trying to explain why she chose the lifestyle she chose, but while doing so offended her mother. I think it is hard for Maya to achieve love at this very moment because her mother does not agree with her decision to speak of her father. Maya tried to reason with her mother at dinner, but felt no need to even try. Maya was unhappy because she was not able to compromise with her mother and feel loved by her. Maya’s mother also did not agree with the life her daughter chose and she lets her daughter know that. I think she was disappointed with her. I think Maya was torn between her father and her mother. This caused her to be very unhappy. Until Maya left home, I think she felt that her father showed more appreciation towards her than her mother. When Maya left home, she not only was cut off from her father, but she also felt that the relationship she had with her mother was unrepairable.
Although, I somewhat agree with everyone in the discussion, I seem to find myself agreeing with Isabella and Nicholas the most. If Maya had not tried to repeatedly convince herself that the separation between her and her husband, Jeff was the best thing for their marriage, then she would not have to lead the sad, lonely, and depressed life that she now lives. The only reason she constantly pushed her husband further out of her life the way she did, was because she had a hard time making Jeff a permanent part of her life. My personal opinion is that due to the previous abuse that she constantly received from her mother, Maya has a hard time letting other people into her life, and her mother is part of the reason why she is so confused. Her mother also added to the confusion by trying to convince her that she is an American, although she is, in fact Japanese. Her father, also played a huge part in her constant confusion, when he died, all of her emotions began to permeate her mind, and cause her to make decisions without completely thinking them through, which is never a good thing. Although I am almost through with the novel, I am having a very interesting time reading this story of this woman’s troubles, and difficulty making decisions, and I look forward to finishing the book, and discovering what Maya chooses to do with the rest of her life, without any contact with her mother, having her father no longer alive, and having to live with the thought that she had driven her own husband away.
In Stone Field, True Arrow, the main character, Maya Ishida, deals with many difficult situations. As the time progresses, she is able to see these situations in a new light. The new perspectives Maya receives cause everything, the way Maya knows it, to change.
Maya’s relationships tend to clash into one another, quite often. This makes life difficult for her to handle. On a number of occasions, Maya had to decide whether to spend time with her best friend, Yuko, or to bond with her husband, Jeff. It is clear, though, that regardless of the choice she makes, someone, whom Maya holds dear to her, will leave the situation feeling upset and/or neglected.
Because of their familiarity, a long past spent with each other, Maya is very close to Yuko. Yuko was present in Maya’s life, when she needed someone to confide in, before Maya ever knew Jeff. Maya finds it easy to relax, and be open and true to herself, when she is with Yuko, because of their tight bond. Therefore, often times, Maya is content when in the company of her good companion.
In the case of Maya and Jeff, some things about their relationship is unclear. Although they believe they love each other, it is evident to Jeff that Maya feels that some things/people are more important to her than he is. The two have an unhealthy relationship and always opt to take the easy ways out of their marital problems, instead of working through them together. Maya does not share her innermost thoughts and/or feelings with her husband, which I feel is extremely important in order to have good relationships, and Jeff does not do so with her. Maya has to deal with feeling uncomfortable and the wall of dishonesty from untold secrets between them. She does this often by keeping things to herself. This did not make her situation better, but this was how she coped with the circumstances. All of these things factor into Maya’s inability to receive the “full package” containing love and contentment.
Fist and foremost I would like to start off by saying I agree with several of my peers within a number of ways. I also would like to say that the definition behind happiness is the quality or state of being happy. And it is clearly shown that Maya is having a hard time accomplishing this, because there are so many challenges, which she comes across. With every challenge that occurred in her life, it seems to somewhat make her even more unhappy then the time before. The first scene to me made a big impact on my reading of the book personally because, it seemed as if her moving, and separating was wrong, but within the eyes of her father through his paintings, the choices she made were great. His picture, which remains in the back of my mind while reading the book, the one of her walking away from a black tunnel and bad spirits makes me think that while she was second guessing her choices in life, he was supporting them all along. But after making the final decision she was still unsure, which also in one way or another, led to another thing, which equals unhappiness in my opinion. Next in line is finding and achieving what everyone wants and desires, LOVE. Which defined in simple terms: to have a liking for. Although this definition describes somewhat of what Love is, Love's definition goes on and on. And to me, when she considers divorcing her husband she lost love, but also found love in one way or another. Because I think she already mentally lets go of her husband to fix her life, and while doing so she can learn to love herself. Which is the key to being able to love any and everything? She has a past that pretty much messed up how she reacts in life now. I think if I had to describe the journey to understanding her ambiguous shifting life, I would describe it as, "LIFE". Something that simply repeats it self all the time, and within the process you learn to find yourself.
As for the way the Author use of language, I think its something new. It’s interesting, kind of different but more than anything New, The way she carries the character and their actions and life in general.
Maya's journey is constantly changing. She is intelligent and strong, but also lonely and unhappy. I somewhat agree with Nick when he says Maya sets her self up for such a lifestyle. He is correct because Maya thought that it was the life she wanted, one of solitude and being alone. On the inside, though, I believe she was secretly craving a human connection, which is why she was drawn to her true love, Eric. Eric understood the depths of who Maya was, and why she acted so "strangely". With understanding, he was able to give Maya what she truly wanted and needed, attention. With her previous husband, Jeff, they were separate often. Jeff believed Maya wanted to be alone all the time because that is what she told him. In this way she made Jeff distance himself from Maya. Maya is similar to a small child in this sense, because even though they may act cold or mean, all the really ever want is attention. During their marriage, Maya also distanced herself from Jeff. When he was hurt, or emotional, she left him to be alone with his feelings, without support or compassion, regardless to what he really wanted. Maya acted like a cold person, but she was also misunderstood. I think that because of her childhood she is scarred. The impact that her mother made on her life is huge, and it was probably those times locked in the basement that Maya became so cold, so she couldn't feel anything. It was a defense mechanism. When her father died, it also made a big impact on Maya; her life was filled with regrets and what if's. So, when Eric came along, and sort of melted her top layer of ice and managed to get through to her core, he was able to see and appreciate Maya for who she really was. Maya was able to interact with Eric unlike anyone else, because she truly loved him.
In the end, this story was a love story. Maya, a cold, seemingly heartless individual wanted to live her life alone and without others until she fell in love. Love changed everything for Maya, and although she won't live her life the way she originally planned, it isn't a sacrifice of what she wants; it is the changing of her wants and needs due to the presence of love in her life.
As we all know, Maya Ishida is a person who keeps to herself. It is natural for her to deal with a problem in her own, because she does not like causing other people to become involved with something she feels she feels, as though, she can handle. Around the time in which her husband’s ex-wife, Nancy, began showing up and coming to their home, Maya was introduced to Eric. He would soon sweep her off of her feet carrying her into a world she never knew existed.
Although Maya felt a bit threatened by Nancy’s reappearance, she did what she was best at doing, by not letting it show. In doing so, her husband, Jeff, knew nothing about whether or not the situation, in which he found himself, was making Maya feel. The spouses began to argue, once Jeff discovered that Maya had made a hasty decision alone. After this disagreement, Maya moved out, allowing her time to spend with Eric.
Despite the fact that Maya and Jeff were to get a divorce, she knew, by her acting on her love for Eric, she was being unfaithful. Because of this knowledge, Maya told mo one of her feelings for Eric, not even her closest and most trusted companion, Yuko.
Maya’s secret pricked at her heart and lingered in her mind, long after Eric had moved out of state, for a job offer in a teaching position. When Maya finally built up the courage to speak with Jeff, she felt the need to be honest with him and end his thoughts of blaming himself for being the cause of their separation. Maya came clean about her affair and soon decided she should also be honest with Yuko. When Maya received the opportunity, during a time in which the two were alone together, she seized it.
Once the truth was out in the open, Maya had a sense of peace within her. She tried to think of ways to make her life easier. Maya decided that by becoming more familiar with her past, she would be able to forget and move on. This is Maya Ishida’s method for coping with her confusing double life.
I agree with everyone who said that Maya's mother had a great impact on her. Her mother’s relationships have not been very functional, which has probably changed Maya’s thoughts on love and happiness. Her father’s death was also a great impact on her, but she was already unhappy before he died. Maya’s father would never acknowledge Maya’s letters which she sent frequently only to have them sent back to her unopened. I agree with Isabella that Maya thought she wanted a life of loneliness and solitude which was probably because of her past. She ended up married to Jeff most likely because she felt obligated, but she did not do it to further her own happiness. Maya and Jeff did not support one another although it seemed as though Jeff made a lot more of an effort than Maya. She was always used to solving her own problems and would not allow anyone to penetrate the wall that she had subconsciously put up, most likely as a defense mechanism. Maya was a very cold person, until she met Eric. He was able to expose her to a whole new world which she had never allowed herself to experience. Maya and Eric grew closer after Jeff and Maya’s argument, but Maya was unable to express her feelings to anyone else even her closest friend Yuko. Once she decided to tell her husband and Yuko, she felt more at ease and less guilty.
I think Maya is a person who likes to handle her problems on her own. She does not like to let others in her life to help her figure out her problems. That is why she seems selfish. She neglects her husband and does not discuss her problems with him. She did not feel that she could communicate with him. They were growing apart and Maya did not feel comfortable with him. However, after she met Eric, she knew she had found her true match. She could talk to him about anything. He would always listen to what she had to say, without complaining. That is always what she wanted, someone she could talk to. Maya could not find that in her mother because they had a bad relationship. They did not even talk after Maya left her at the restaurant right before Christmas. She could not find that in her father because after she left home, she no longer communicated with him and besides, he died. Though Yoko and Maya were good friends, Maya did not tell her everything. Maybe Maya was looking for someone new, someone who she could start over with. That is what she found and saw in Eric. I think Eric was what Maya needed to change her life. He was very considerate of Maya’s feelings. He was genuinely a nice person, who was thankful to Maya for helping him out in his time of need.
After taking in the opinion of my other peers, I would have to say that I too, agree with Malika on her comment about Maya and how she is unable to be happy because her mother, the lady that basically brought her in this world, isn’t happy with her decisions in life. If anything she is ashamed of them and simply doesn’t approve in one way or another. No one can really find happiness in their life, when their roots, their base of which they are, their PARENTS, don’t support them. Or, even when one agrees and the other doesn’t, it isn’t good enough because now you feel as though you are doing something wrong, so wrong that it’s bringing this disagreement within the parents. So what are you to do? This is the thought that Maya probably wondered about all her life, if anything, because in some cases it is more important to honor your parents than to do what your heart and soul lives for, and of course in other cases, it is “your” life and at the end of the day regardless of who approves or doesn’t approve, you are the one who has to live it. And when this type of situation occurs I think it does complicate your goal of trying to find happiness within yourself and in your life in general. I also believe when you aren’t happy with yourself or your life, it’s even harder to find love, or simply be able to love. Mainly because you’re not mentally correct within yourself, and I believe this was one of Maya’s problems in one way or another.
I think that Maya lacks the ability to be happy and in love because of her past and her relationships with her family. Both parents were bad examples of love and happiness. Her father gave her up to her mother with good intentions however when she got older he could have gotten in touch but like Maya, he seems to believe that he is destined for a solitary life. Her mother was very unloving. She locked Maya in the basement of their house and forced her to stay down there for almost two hours. She also remarried twice after divorcing Maya’s father. Each time that she married she claimed to love that man however once she left them she made an effort to pretend that they never existed. One reason that Maya didn’t want to be with Eric was because she thought she was being too much like her mother. Maya’s past caused her to not only stop herself from falling in love but chose a life that wasn’t the best one for her. In the book, Maya realizes that “she had settled for second best (weaving) when the most important thing was within reach.” (pg. 95). Her whole life she had chosen the easy way from weaving to her husband that doesn’t ask questions. Once her father died, she has to step back and think about why she made the decisions that she did. For example why did she marry Jeff or why did she choose to become a weaver. I agree with Becky that the writing was very detailed and referential to the past.
I would like to say that I agreed with most of my peers.
I believe that it was not easy for Maya to love or to achieve happiness. You are able to achieve happiness in many ways. While reading I observed that in the relationship with her husband she distances herself from him. She wanted her husband to more like her friend and not her equal partner. Even though I am not married, I believe that your spouse should be both your friend and your partner. If she would have changed her ways toward her marriage, then maybe she would have found love. I also believe that another reason Maya was not happy is because she dwells on the past. I understand it is difficult to let go of the past, but there will come a time in which you should. Dwelling on the past will not help you enjoy the present and look forward to your future. Finally in the story Maya is known to do many things for other people. Pleasing other people sometimes does not please you. Like Isabella said it is a block for her to reach happiness. Happiness is not easy to come by all the time, and Maya made it even harder.
In the book Stone Field, True Arrow the main character Maya seemed to have a very difficult time trying to achieve happiness. It was partly because of her childhood that she didn't accept the idea of living happily with her husband, and having a family with him. She said that she felt better alone and she didn't like for Jeff to talk to her most of the time. She might have felt this way because she was a neglected child. Her mom took her away from her father when she was a child. Her mom then remarried a couple of times and tried to forget about her Japanese culture by pretending she was just American. Her mother always put her boyfriends and husbands before her daughter, which probably caused Maya to start having a liking for loneliness. Another thing that stopped her from achieving happiness was the memory of her dead father. She had a very troublesome distant relationship with him and she probably felt guilty for not being with him the last couple years of his life. It was also her fault that she didn't achieve happiness. In the story Jeff really did seem to love her, but her constant neglection pushed him into the arms of his ex wife Nancy. After she cheated on him with Eric she realized that she loved Eric. Yet she let him go knowing that they both loved each other. Like Becky said she was selfish she only thought about what was good for her. She knew that Eric adored her and he was going to suffer a lot if he wasn't with her. I think she wasn't prepared to achieve happiness because she wasn't able to forget about her past and just live life to its fullest. I think it’s important to forget all the bad things that have happened in our past and just try to live in the present. If Maya would have understood that she would have probably achieved happiness with Eric.
I agree with my fellow classmates. I think that Maya was confused and didn’t understand herself. She wonders why she always measured the past in distance and I do not believe that it is easy for Maya to love and achieve happiness because of her relationship with her father. Maya sends letters to her father but receives them back unopened. Another thing was that her father past away and that Maya was raised in Japan but had to live in Minneapolis with her mother. Mayas father, who was an artist, changed Mayas life a lot but Maya doesn’t realize this until her father passes away. The death of her father causes Maya to think about her life. Maya has a hard time achieving happiness. That is because she thinks of the past. You need to let go of the past and move forward. Happiness is different for many people, so is love, but they are both things people want to achieve. I would be happy if I got good grade but I would need to earn it. I have not finished the book yet, but I am look forward on seeing what happens to Maya in the novel. I am also looking forward to seeing Ms.Mori.
In the novel “Stone field, True Arrow” by Kyoko Mori, I think Maya doesn’t have a nice smooth ride to happiness and love because she has a lot of things going on as far as her marriage, and relationships with other people in the novel. Her life is at a point where it gets boring and nothing out of the usual happens. In my opinion, I think that Maya’s marriage is falling apart because Maya and her husband don’t really interact with each other. They never ask each other questions or any of those things. The point in marring a person means that you will commit to your marriage. You will love one another and talk to each other. In the novel, I don’t think there was none of that activity. Her marriage is failing. I don’t think Maya will ever attain true happiness until she finally finds true love. I think she will never reach happiness because she won’t let go of the past whereas her father’s death is going to stick with her forever if she choose to. I also found that Maya was too self-centered. All she cared about was herself. Sometimes I might be selfish but not all the time, especially when it comes to family I care more about them than I do myself sometimes.
I think that it was quite difficult for Maya to completely throw herself into a relationship. Even in her marriage, she did things selfishly and, I think, did not often think of her husband. She was obviously a cold hearted person, as she was described in the book by her husband, but I believe that she had reason for this. Her relationship with her mother was extremely rocky and then she was in a sense ripped away from her childhood in Japan and from her father, who she clearly adored more than her mother. I think that Maya often made a decision to be totally oblivious to what was happening right in front of her. Her relationship with her husband, mother and best friend all played a part in her unhappiness. It seemed as if Maya never gave all of herself away because she was afraid to be hurt, which actually ended up turning people away.
Maya’s journey was definitely an emotional one which forced her to relive some of her past experiences. She made some damaging mistakes, for example in her marriage, but I think that she began to learn from them. In the end, I do not think that Maya achieved total happiness, but I think that she did gain some peace of mind. She ended up alone, but perhaps when she was alone at the end of book, she did not feel lonely as she did in the beginning. The way in which the story was written sort of helped the reader to understand what was going on in Maya’s mind as it occurred because it was written in the present tense. I did not particularly like the author’s style or writing, but it was definitely different.
I do not think it is easy for Maya to love and achieve happiness because of her past with her mother. Her mother treated her badly and when she tried to be nice she was not affectionate at all. Maya at a young age had to leave her father who she loved dearly and had to live with her mother who was both physically and mentally abusive. Also, as a child is when we learn to love and when you love someone and you don’t get the same thing back you tend to shut down and close your heart off from others, so you won’t get hurt. Since Maya’s relationship was not as close and she had not seen her father or had contact with him she pressed the off button on her heart. It is very hard to be loved and be happy when you do not know how to. When you decide to become attached to someone it has a lot do with love and no relationship is successful if you just plan on not being open and not getting your feelings involved. You can never find love or true happiness by just being with someone. Also, in order for Maya to be able to gain affection she has to try to make amends with her past. You can not change your past because it has already happened, but you can not run from it either. If Maya ever plans on finding love she has to be able to face her past and in the story she tends to run a way from it every time she comes face to face with it.
There are many other things that keep Maya from completing her quest but I think two of the major problems is Maya’s marriage and her relationship with her father. Her marriage is holding her back because Maya and Jeff had disagreements, well all marriages do, but they also did not really know each other. They didn’t know their inner person because they did not talk about those kinds of things much. Their marriage was like my relationship with a store clerk, they just say hi to one another. I’m surprised at that. My definition of marriage is love the one person you are marring and to cherish them until you died. The two should have something in common and the two should be interested or encouraging in anything their partner participates or is involved in. Maya father’s death changed Maya life a lot because she didn’t recognize how much her father did change her life until he past away which is when she really saw that her father was an important part of her life and she will never forget that. I not saying that no one can’t hold on to the past, I’m just saying its better not to. If Maya doesn’t hold on to the past then I think she will fulfill her quest to being happy
In the novel I think that it is not easy for Maya to achieve love and happiness. But, I do think that it could have been easy for her. Even though Maya is a grown woman, and she is able to make decisions on her own she still has to deal with her past. I strongly agree with Kyndall when she said that Maya Ishida is a person who stays to herself. I feel that Maya’s mother and Maya’s husband, are the main reasons for her current problems now. I think it’s only normal for an adult that has been mistreated in their child life, to have problems in their current life. People have to remember that the abuse caused from her own mother will stay with her for the rest of her life. The abuse and frustration that she had with her mother can’t just be forgotten from her. Even though she still is responsible for her own actions and can’t blame everybody for her problems, she still has feelings too. I think Nancy coming to see Jeff only made it worse for Maya. She was still going through problems with her mother, and trying to have a closer relationship with her. She also lost her farther, which was the only person she thought who really cared about her. On top of that she was trying to be a good best friend to Yuko, who was also having a bad relationship with Dan. I think all these problems going on with Maya has changed her point of view on love.
I agree with Tess that maybe Maya was never going to be happy. Davon made an interesting point that she was building the “great wall of Maya” around herself. She distanced herself from her father, her husband, and her mother. She remained close to Yuko, but when she met Eric, she was distancing herself from Yuko, though they promised to never let a man get in the way of their friendship. She seemed destined for unhappiness.
I’m not sure I understand why she didn’t go with Eric. Yes, the big reason is that she did not want to leave Yuko. However, I am just as confused as Eric was about why she didn’t go with him. She loved him and he loved her. There is the whole theme of letting go in the novel. This is demonstrated in the myth of the person who went to rescue his loved one, but couldn’t look back or she would disappear. The part where Maya leaves her father mirrors this and is a metaphor for her letting go of the past. However, I am not sure how not going with Eric was a gesture of love.
What I found most interesting in the language of this novel was the use of present tense. This made it easier to distinguish flashbacks from the current events in the story. I think that it might have a deeper meaning. This helps to signify the difference between past and present and the importance of letting go of the past.
While reading Stone Field, True Arrow, I realized that Maya had been torn between two worlds for a very long time: the world of love and the world of happiness. Although it is supposed to be her love life, Maya’s relationship with her husband is not what one would call love. It is clear that both Maya and Jeff respect each other and have vowed to spend their lives together, but respect is only the first step in love. What about understanding and trust? What about desire, comfort, and happiness? Something was wrong with their relationship not with what they did as much as with what they did not do. As I stated in a previous blog, Maya is most content when she is accompanied by Yuko, simply because Maya is able to trust Yuko and can be true to herself when Yuko is around. Although Maya enjoys the happiness she feels with Yuko, she is in search of something more.
Maya’s problem arises with her longing for a combination of the worlds in one. When she meets Eric, for the first time, Maya feels her worlds clashing together, like the sides of a “best friends” necklace, the two fitting perfectly together to create a perfect match. In this new world, one half can not exist without the other. Sadly, the time Maya and Eric spent with one another could not last forever. Eric’s departure, although painful, was necessary, and deep down Maya knew he had to leave.
Times for Maya were difficult after Eric’s move, in an emotional sense. It took her only chance of the “full package” of love and happiness, leaving her with memories. However, these occurrences did allow Maya to grow into a stronger person, by teaching her to move on.
In Stone Field, True Arrow, I think Maya wants to find herself. Maya’s shifting life was a part of her finding herself. Sometimes to find yourself you have to go back and fourth. By this I mean you have to accept your past in order to go on to your future. If you don’t accept your past, you will find it very difficult to move on because you are stuck in one area of you life. An example of this is when Maya found out her father died. It took her some time to get over that tragedy, but she did. She did however, reflect on that time in her life, and it is ok to do so.
Maya’s relationship with her mother was a struggle that she had to overcome in order to find herself as well. Maya tried to compromise with her mother on different occasions, but sometimes realizes that she could not. For example, when Maya decided to visit her mother at her house, they could not even talk about Maya’s father without getting into an argument. Maya believed that her father let her go because he loved her and wanted the best for her, while Kay, Maya’s mother thought Maya’s father let her go because he did not care about anything, but his art. Every time Maya tried to comprise with her mother, they always end up arguing or deserting each other for long periods of time. Maya realized that she was nothing like her mother, but she was her own person, who had a part of her father in her, which was art. This is also a situation where Maya does not feel loved by her mother because they could not agree on a family subject.
I totally agree with what Nina said. I also believe that Maya couldn't achieve happiness because she didn't know how to love. When she was young her mother never paid attention to her. She never really received any love from the people around her. In order to love you have to have experienced it. For example, if you grow up in a home where your mother is physically abused by your father you might just end up doing the same thing to your husband or wife. That's the example you had at home when you were growing up, so why shouldn't you do it. I'm not saying everyone who lives through these experiences turns out bad. It just seems that in this particular situation Maya just doesn't seem to understand what love is. Like Nick said I was quite confused when she let go of Eric even though she "loved" him. I just feel that she thought she felt love towards him, but in reality I really doubt she knew what love was in the first place. If it would have been real love she would have remained by his side. There was nothing separating them. She was going to get divorced from Jeff anyway, and Yuko could have understood that Maya needed to go with this man. Nothing was stopping her from going with Eric and leaving everything behind. She just didn’t love him enough. Whatever she felt wasn’t strong enough to hold on to the love of her life.
I do not agree with Jasmine that Maya was always selfish in her choices and in the way she acted. I do agree that she was selfish in the way she treated her husband, Jeff; however, I don’t think that she was selfish in the way she treated Eric. She was rather selfish with Jeff because she withheld a lot of information from him which made it almost impossible for their marriage to survive. However, sometimes Maya seems to believe that he is only respecting her by giving her space and that their not talking is not really a problem. Even though she was selfish with her husband, I don’t think that she was selfish in the way that she deals with Eric. She is very obviously in love with him and I believe that she does want to be with him but I think that she think that she has to have a solitary life. I don’t think it was selfish of her because it caused her pain too. She was very lonely without him. When she said goodbye to Eric and he continued to try to persuade her she said “I know it sounds crazy. But going with you doesn’t make sense to me. Being alone does.” (pg. 214) I believe that she thinks she needs a solitary life because of her past and her family. When she is thinking about life alone without Eric, she compares it to her father’s solitary life which makes me think that he was one reason why she chose not to be with him. Secondly, she also doesn’t want to be like her mother. Her mother would drop everything and move to a town where her only connection was through a guy and Maya did not want to do that because she wanted to be her own person. Like Nick said she also didn’t want to be with him because it would end her relationship with Yuko.
I'm almost finished my blogs. I'm so proud of myself. I am doing better. In this novel it was very interesting. I don't think that it wasn't as easy for Maya to achieve happiness like she could have done. When her father dies that's when she starts to question herself, and her reliabilty. I think that when she was having her flashbacks she was really seeing the people who didn't really care for her. Her father gave her back the letters he didn't open. That must be really upsetting, because if the one you care for didn't acknowledge your feelings then that can be like a low blow to your self-esteem, and to your feelings toward that person. I think that now that i have finished reading the book i would have to say that Maya's character was really selfish. I think that Maya made her life way to complicated for herself. It wasn't Maya's fault completely why she acted like that. Some people just push other people away because they are not use to people right there and always helpful, and caring to them.
I see that Maya does not have a really good relationship with her husband. Maya was acting selfish when she brought home the kitten. The kitten bit Jeff but Maya didn’t even care, she was more worried about the kitten. Usually in marriage the wife put her husband in front of everything but Maya forgets groceries and does not consider Jeff’s feelings. Another thing is that Maya does not have a good relationship with her mother. Maya mother is kind of mean because Maya says that mentioning her father meant the same thing as ignoring her mother which was not true but her mother thought it was rude. Maya mother also isn’t patient and is in a rush and kind of embarrasses Maya like at the restaurant. It is going to be very hard for Maya to achieve happiness. Mayas mother does not believe in her daughter and she does not want Maya to make clothing for women, instead she wants her to be a graphic designer. What Maya mother does not understand is that Maya really wants to make clothing. Mayas mother also wants Maya to forget about her father and move on. It’s good to move on but you shouldn’t forget about your past. Mayas mother makes it hard for Maya.
Maya is also unable to achieve love and happiness because of how she grew up. Although she strongly loved her father, he wasn't there for her all the time and didn't support her throughout her life. However, it seems as though her mother is worse in many ways, including the fact that she has no love towards Maya. Her mother is all wrapped up in herself and her own interests to pay any attention to Maya. I do agree with jasmine when she says that Maya is not accepting love from her husband Jeff and pushing him further and further away. She isn't making an effort to achieve love or happiness because she doesn't know how. She is in deeply in love with Eric, whom she relates to much better than her husband Jeff, but I think part of her is scared to leave Jeff because she isn't brave enough to live her life with another person. She grew up in a disfunctional family and got accustomed to being lonely and introverted. From what I am aware of, She does not have any siblings and on top of that she has two very distant parents, so now that she is older, it is harder for her to relate to other people in her life. The only person it seems Maya can relate to is her best friend Yuko, who is a good, supportive friend. I also agree with nick because he said that one of the major themes in the novel is letting go. maya had to let go of the past, let go of Eric, and let go of her husband.
As I mentioned before in my previous posting I don’t think Maya will be able to fulfill her quest unless she faces her past. Also, I have to disagree with Michelle when she says that Nancy coming made it worst for Maya. I think that Maya is using Nancy as an escape goat. Basically, I don’t think that Maya’s heart is truly in the relationship and she is using Nancy as away to leave Jeff. If you notice, every time Maya and Jeff get in a fight it is as if Maya is hoping to leave him. A lot of the times she distances herself from Jeff and does not even try to put effort into keeping her relationship strong. Also, in the story a lot of the times Maya is hoping and thinking about what the future would be like without Jeff and by her self. She even pictured her self with Eric, who she has just meant. Anyway, back to where I started. I do not think Maya will fulfill her quest because she continues to run. If she ever wants to fulfill it she is going to have to learn to love her mother and to be able to tell herself that her lost relationship with her father is not her fault. She will never be able to succeed in completing her quest unless she can learn to love her self and look within. A lot of times humans will only find happiness and love if we learn to love ourselves.
I disagree with both Tess and Nick. They said that one of the reasons that Maya didn't go with Erick was because it would end her relationship with Yuko. That didn't necessarily have to happen. Yuko and Maya had been friends for a very long time and if there friendship was strong it would have survived anything. For example, last year my best friend Carina moved back to Romania. Nothing between us changed. We still have a close friendship even though we’re thousands of miles away. Also no matter how much of a best friend Yuko was Maya shouldn't have hesitated over staying with her or leaving with Eric. Personally, I would have chosen Erick over Yuko because Erick is the man I want to spend my life with, and Yuko was just a close friend. I understand that they were very close, but Yuko had her own life. She could have remarried and moved on with life. That’s how life is sometimes. You have to let go of some things to achieve happiness. Maya didn't think about herself or Eric. She only thought about what was best for Yuko. Like Tess said it did cause Maya a lot of pain, but she didn’t really consider how Eric was going to be without her. Also I agree with Becky that the author used a lot of flashback in the story, and like Michelle said the details in the story did help me visualize it. Although I felt that in some parts of the book the author overdid the use of details to the point were it got boring.
By starting out I would say that I agree with Isabella that Maya journey or quest is changing constantly. In my opinion, I think she just wants to be alone for the rest of her life. Disagreeing with Isabella, I think that being alone is her plans for life because she told her husband that she wants to be alone so by doing that she pushed her husband away from her. By her doing that, the whole situation led up to a divorce which is something I think benefited her more than it did her husband because that is what she wanted to do, to be separate from him for long periods of time, but this time it was a permanent period of time. The one person I think she would enjoy to be with is her best friend Yuko. I can tell that she felt very comfortable around Yuko because that is when she feels more relaxed or chilled about herself and things that are going around her such as her relationship with her so called husband that she barely speaks to. I think your life would be very boring if you want to be alone all the time especially not talking to any one, then your life wouldn’t be as exciting as it could be if you would talk to people in general.
Only one more blog to go I am so happy! I feel that Maya can’t achieve love and happiness, because she has never experienced with love. As the old saying goes love is what love does. How can Maya achieve to love when she has basically never received love. Even though Maya did find her true love husband Jeff, she still has a empty hole in her heart. This empty hole in her heart is her mother. Every child should always receive love from their own mother, unfortunately Maya didn’t. This hole in her heart can’t be filled by her husband or even by her best friend, only her mother. In the story I thought Maya was going to achieve love and happiness if her and Eric became a couple. Like other people who commented on the blog, I was also very confused when she let him go. When reading this book, after Eric and Maya ended their relationship I knew that Maya probably would never fall in love again. I do agree with Tess when she said that Maya was selfish. I think Maya was selfish to Jeff by keeping things away from him. They are supposed to be true lovers and should be able to tell each other everything. Unfortunately, Maya only thought her herself and kept secrets from him. Not only was Maya selfish to her husband, but she was also selfish to her best friend. In the end when they engaged in an argument Yuko had found out a secret about Maya, and once again Maya only thought about herself.
Maya's life undergoes great changes from the beginning of the novel to the end. She goes from depressed, alone, and shut off from the world to being vulnerable and in love. In both situations, and through her entire life, she has felt the same feeling of confusion. Maya is unsure of her identity and has many questions about who she is. I think she wondered whether she was American or Japanese and what her role as a friend, a wife, and a daughter really was. None of these things were easily defined to her, no one stopped to tell her what they wanted from her. On the other hand, Maya never stopped anyone else to ask what they wanted either.
Her mother forced American-isms onto her throughout her childhood, but Maya's Japanese heritage still shone through, in her face and in her passion, weaving.
As a friend to Yuko, it was not necessarily difficult to please her. Yuko was very understanding and was not often angry at Maya. They always looked out for one another because of the love they had.
Her relationship to her husband and the one to her mother were more complicated. With Jeff, she was constantly battling herself and him. She fought for time alone while he fought against it. She remained independent for the entirety of their marriage, without giving anything up for the man she claimed to love. The selfish part of the situation was that Maya knew Jeff wanted that togetherness, that he wanted Maya to want him. This was a simple task that I think Maya could have easily indulged him in. As for the relationship with her mother, it was obviously, as stated by my peers, dysfunctional. They were always at each others throats, saying the wrong things, holding grudges, and being selfish. Maya probably learned her selfishness from her mother. These factors caused Maya to not have the ultimate necessity in life, happiness.
When she met Eric, all those problems seemed to work themselves out, more or less. Some problems were ended by severing the relationship altogether and some were only moderately fixed, but still improved. Eric literally brightened up her life. She fell in love. In my comments I stress the importance of love. In Maya's life I think this was the critical turning point from negative to positive. Eric knew Maya's soul, her identity, her persona. He allowed her what she wanted, but also gave her what she needed. Because of this, Maya succumbed to her love and began her new journey towards happiness.
I also have only one more blog to go and I am very happy right now to almost be finished. I agree with Jasmine because Maya’s relationship with Eric should not be able to affect her relationship with Yuko. Yuko should be able to understand that if Maya loves someone she should be happy for her and want what is best for her. Yuko and Maya have been friends for a very long time, and if their friendship is meant to last, then they should be able to get through this together without having to argue about whether or not Eric is a valid choice for Maya. Many people have to make these kinds of choices and if they truly value one another’s friendship, they ought to be able to survive this. I don’t agree with Jasmine when she said that she would have chosen Eric over Yuko. Although Eric is the man she would spend the rest of her life with, the friendship of her companion Yuko who Maya had known much longer than Eric should be equal or more important than Eric. I don’t think that Maya should have to choose between them at all. It seemed as though they both valued Maya’s companionship, so they should be able to accept her decisions and support her. I agree that Maya didn’t really think about what would make her happiest which wasn’t right at all. Maya should have made a decision and be willing to fight for what she felt at the time which she wasn’t willing to do.
Maya needs to have courage to succeed and also needs to learn how to accept love from other people. It is understandable that she wouldn't know how to deal with love and happiness, given the life she has led so far. The only people she has had a good relationship with is Yuko and Eric. Although she had a decent relationship with jeff, it didn't seem like there was any passion at all between them. Now that Maya has found someone she loves, and who loves her back, she does not know how to accept it. of course, there were many reasons why Maya did not leave with Eric. Strangly, she prefers a lonely way of life without having to deal with too many changes and relationship problems. Some people, such as Maya, strive better as a sole individual. She has learned how to live without a lot of support from others. As tess mentioned before, she doesn't want to be like her mother, who would change her whole life around because of a man. The way the author kyoko Mori depicts maya's life is very poetic, yet in some ways sad. The only thing maya has to live for is her best friend yuko, Eric, and her job making clothes for women. Her life would certainly be different, and much happier if her father hadn't died. Hopefully, her mother will learn to treat Maya and other people with more respect and love, so that they can stregthen thier relationship.
Like all of my peers, I think that it is extremely difficult for Maya to achieve happiness and love in her marriage and in everyday life. In the beginning of the novel, she tries to talk to her father, Ishida Minoru. After sending him several letters and getting them back unopened, she was very confused and crushed. Instead of staying bitter, she tries to keep him in her past, until he sends her a drawing of her leaving Osaka. This drawing is very important because it symbolizes him telling her that “No one can live in two worlds" and this was the reason why he had to let her go and refused to read her letters.
After she studied the picture, many memories from her past came rushing back into her mind, making her deeply think about the life she left behind. I think that because she tried to keep her father out her mind and her life, it made it very difficult for her to move on. The more she isolated herself from her father, the stronger her feeling became for him. When she received the letter about her fathers’ death, she couldn’t hold back the strong feelings she keep in, I think that her father dying helped her because she got to let out those feeling she held in for many years. At the same time, I still think his death tore her apart.
I really agree with Michelle, I think I was saying something similar in my other posting. Michelle said that Maya could not achieve love and happiness because she did not receive any love from her mother. This is true because as I said before, Maya does not have a good relationship with her mother. Yuko is a good friend of Mayas and Maya looks out for her. When Dan broke up with Yuko, Maya came and maybe that’s why Maya could not find happiness because she had her own problems and helped her friend’s problems. Mayas mother remarried twice since her father. Maya also does not have a good relationship with Jeff mother because she does not like vegetarians. Marriage is important in every family, in the story marriage was shown but everything wasn’t good in the marriages. Maya did not have a good relationship neither did Yuko or her mother. Marriage is a symbol of trust, where a couple can tell each other anything. They need to care for each other and connect with one another. Maya had some secrets that she did not tell Jeff. Maya told Yuko about what happen with Bill and the radio talk show but no until a while later. You can only achieve happiness if you have trust.
I believe that Maya is preventing the fulfillment for her own quest. Maya is blessed with a free will, but yet neglects it because of the negative outlooks she has on the world. Maya is a grown woman, and has the right to make her own decisions, yet she falls into the naive mind state of her past. I think that Maya should take the responsibility to change her lifestyle, seeing how it has only destroyed others. She is surrounded by negative examples which reflect on her relationships with others. I also think that denial has a great deal to due with these issues. Maya’s mother is so focused on being an American woman, that she loses her identity. Her mother seems to be an insecure woman that doesn’t know what she wants, or who she is. Maya is basically told to deny her heritage, and as a outcome she denies everything good that’s right in front of her.
Like I said before I think that Maya’s life is changing constantly, agreeing with Isabella. She wanted to just be alone as of separating from her husband, but when she met Eric, her whole point of view changed from one thing to another. I think Eric was the right person to come and support Maya because, of what I said in my early posting about Maya’s husband knowing her inner person, Eric knew Maya’s inner person which Maya’s husband didn’t even know. Agreeing with Isabella once again, Eric knew why Maya act the way she act. He understands what she is going through as far as wanting to be alone and away from her husband. When Eric came into the picture, I think Maya was more relaxed than anything because Eric was someone that would give her the consideration that her behavior really calls for.
As far as Maya’s quest to happiness, she can achieve love and happiness only if she wants to. Like many of my peers have said, Maya should let go of the past if she wants to reach love and happiness. She has been through a lot as I can see but if she wants to move on and become happy again then she needs to let go of her crucial past.
The use of language in this novel was something I’ve never seen before and it was very interesting because I like trying new things, it always makes the reading a lot more exciting.
As Izzie mentioned, I mean Isabella is that Maya endured many changes in her life. When she was young she was in the midst of her father and mother’s bad divorce and because her parents sought that she would be better off with her mother that is where she went to stay. What little bit she does remember about her father was overshadowed by the abuse she was subjected to by her mother. Maya also struggled with figuring out who she was as a person and what her identity was. Kay tried to forget Japan and adopt a new life, so Maya never really got to know Osaka, which means she never got to really know her self. While living with her mother Maya was also unable to express her self and do what she loved. Maya had a great talent for art, but because it reminded Kay, so much of her Maya’s father she shot it down. Also, Kay believed that it would not get Maya any where, so Maya never really had the support she needed. Another big shift in Maya’s life was her going to college. I think this is where Maya’s confusion began to develop. In college the only thing Maya had to look forward to was art and her best friend Yuko. I think Maya’s desperation for loves begins to form when she starts dating Dan. I do not think she loved Dan I just think that both Dan and Jeff were just voids that took up space in her life. She did not love them at all they were just people who kept her occupied who she thought she could use as a way to avoid other things in her life. The only person who Maya truly loved is Yuko, but it was a different kind of love, not an intimate love. When Maya married Jeff it was only because she loved his silence. Maya did not know how to express her self and with Jeff she did not have to. In the end, Jeff becomes another Dan. She leaves Jeff without anything, but a couple of words to say that is was over. In the end, she ends up falling for Eric, but only to be alone again. Although, what Maya did to Jeff is very wrong, but the only guy who I can say that Maya was really passionate about is Eric. Due to Maya’s rocky and unstable past life she had to endure a painful future one, but in the end is where she finds what it feels to love and be happy.
After taking all my peers thoughts and comments into deep consideration, I would say I agree with Izze. I agree with the fact that Maya’s life was basically a big web that she was trying to untangle but it seemed like it just wasn’t happening. At some points in time it’s as if she is living for the sake of someone else, then there’s time when she is living for herself, and doing what she thinks is best and what rights. I am simply going to say that the people that come in and out of her life, was somewhat like a string and they all pretty much wrapped around her, until she was literally tangled in a knot and confused. I would say that when you have people in your life who actually means something to you, and their opinion opposes what you believe in, you really are pushed to the edge. And I believe at times that’s where Maya’s mind was, and how far she had pushed sometimes to pursue other people’s happiness instead of her own. I personally believe that her parent not really being the best of parents, this was already a bad start on how to make good judgments when it comes to life, and doing things for her. When the presence of your parents, mentally is absent you are mentally confused and messed up. It might not seem that way in the beginning but as time goes on, there are thousands of thoughts in the back of your mind, wanting to know who you are, your background, and typical information’s that she missed out on in certain ways. And then when one parent is telling her to go fourth with her goals and the other is saying, NO. Then what? I think it was hard to achieve happiness, but I also believe that was because Maya didn’t know exactly who she was and in order for her to be happy she has to first love herself, but if she doesn’t know who she is, then what?
Maya’s life right now is at a turning point. I think the life she has now is preventing her from fulfilling her quest. I believe that her quest is for Eric to love her like she loves him. Maya is not happy and little by little she is driving her husband away. If Eric and Maya were to be together she would most likely be happier than she is now. Her marriage wouldn’t be so dull if they just spoke more. It seems that Maya and her husband are married for all the wrong reasons. I am not saying they do not love each other, but you would never have any way of knowing they were married. For them not to try to make their marriage work is ridiculous. How is it even possible for you to live with someone for many years and barely speak? If I were in Maya’s shoes I would either take the initiative to make it work or just get a divorce. Maya has not even told her best friend, Yuko that she is in love with Eric. You cannot be in love with someone else especially if you are married, that is being dishonest and disloyal. Maybe she feels that by telling Yuko how she feels about Eric, Yuko may judge or criticize her.
Throughout the story Maya continues to struggles with handling her problems and since she is a person who keeps to herself that made it more challenging for her to cope with them. Like Kyndall, I also noticed that the two worlds she felt trapped in where the world of love and the world of happiness. I think the reason she feels lost in her love life is because she doesn't share love with her husband. Their love is more like a casual friendship. I say that because throughout the novel they don’t share any special connection. I also think Maya struggles with her love life because she hasn’t seen or had a person she could idolize. If Maya stayed in Osaka, I think she would’ve had a person to idolize which in my mind would’ve, should’ve and could’ve been her father, Ishida Minoru. The only person Maya could idolize and feels comfort around after her father death, I believe, was her best friend, Yuko. Yuko is very important in this novel because she is the only person who gets Maya to speak or share her true feelings. Mayas’ worlds get tangled and because they do she can’t really find true love or happiness, even after finding some one she was deeply in love with.
I'll begin my posting by saying that I agree with Michelle, when she said that Maya truly never had an experienced with love. In the novel, I could recall that she barely received love from the people she deeply cared about who were in her family. Like Michelle, I also believe that love is what love does; this saying means that to get love you need to give it. I think Maya is afraid of love because she had been hurt so many times throughout the novel. When she felt love for her father, Ishida Minoru, she was broken hearted and when she felt love for Jeff, her husband, she was also let down. She soon finds out that their marriage was just a waste because of trust issues. The more she felt love, the more she was let down and this lead to her isolating herself from friends and family. After their marriage ends, Maya attempts to isolate herself from Jeff, but when his wife Nancy comes back into his life, Maya then feels jealous and unsure about her decision of avoiding Jeff. She meets Eric and they fall in love but because Maya is afraid of sharing love and being let down, she holds many feelings from him.
I think that the whole point of this book was that we have to forget the past in order to move on. I think that the message of this book depends on what type of past a person has. When someone has a past as painful as Maya’s, forgetting the past may be the most appealing choice. Maya had a past full of pain, mostly due to her mother. The irony is that the memories that they want to forget never go away, while our most treasured memories can fade into the mists of time.
We continue to chastise ourselves for our mistakes. We never let ourselves forget what we did wrong. However, this does help us to learn from our mistakes. We have to learn from the past, but we must not dwell on it.
However, I disagree with the book. I certainly think we must not dwell on the past, but the past must not be forgotten. William Faulkner once said, “The past is not dead, it is not even past.” If the past is painful for us, certainly, we must not dwell on it. However, we can never forget our mistakes. We need to learn from them and, most of the time, our own minds will not let us forget them.
The book might not be about forgetting the past, but it is about moving on. The past is important. We must never forget it, but we cannot let it weigh us down. Painful memories are too much baggage to carry. To move on in life, we must travel light.
As far as her life shifting goes, it starts a while back. First she is torn away from her father Ishida Minoru, who was a native Japanese artist. She was then forced to stay with her mother in Minneapolis. I think that right there is where her shifting life begins. If you move a child from there home, how in the world can you expect for them to adjust to another world. If I was sent to another country, I too would not know how to adapt. I immediately would want to come home and not just because I don’t want to learn other people’s culture, but because I already am use to a certain type of life and any other life would be very confusing. This dates back further into the past. When the Africans were taken from their homeland they were forced to learn another language. Throughout the entire process of slavery the Africans eventually forgot their languages and their way of life. They were introduced to new cultures and when they were first brought to America, they wanted to continue their way of life but they knew severe punishments would be given. Although change is a good thing Maya struggles to change lots of things in her life such as, her marriage, her job, and her friendship with Eric.
I really enjoyed reading Stone Field, True Arrow. The author’s style of writing is very different from what I usually read. Kyoko Mori wrote the book in the present tense. The books I usually read are written in past tense. Reading this book was like trying a new type of food. I tried something different by reading Stone Field, True Arrow and I really enjoy it. Sometimes I tend to judge books by their cover. From looking at the cover of Stone Field, True Arrow, you wouldn’t think it would have been as good as it was. However, after reading the book, I had a different opinion. This is why you should never judge a book by its cover. From now on, I will not do so.
I think Kyoko Mori did a great job with this book. I am glad that she chose to write in the present tense. This made the book even more interesting. I think it even made the book more realistic. The way Kyoko Mori wrote the book made you feel like you were in the book. It made you feel that you were in each situation with the characters and you were engaged in their conversations. This book made you feel like you were the characters and you were experiencing their ups and downs with them.
After finishing the book and reading the thoughts of my peers, I came to a realization that Maya found love. Even though she had a hard time finding love, in the end she reached her goal. Like I stated before in earlier postings, Maya had a hard time letting go of her past. I believe that Maya had a hard time receiving love and happiness because of her past. She had a difficult childhood, her and her mother did not get along to well, and her father died. She had a closer vibe with her father, than with her mother which made his passing more difficult. This deeply wounded her.
Maya’s childhood could be the truth in which she did not find happiness. In all her relationships she kept her distance between her and the other person. Of course, we all know she was not able to find love with her first husband. However, in the end she was able to find true love with Eric. He understood what Maya needed, attention. He also understood why she acted in the manner she did. Eric was able to break the lock to Maya’s heart. The only thing Maya need for her to change her ways was love. With love she was able to find her happiness.
Maya is emotionally unstable. She believes that she is better off alone and with nobody else. Every time a friend or loved one tries to help her out she pushes them away, especially her husband. Her husband is a very selfish man. She thinks the seperation between them is a good quality in their marriage. Because of that, her marriage is failing. Her emotions start to toy with her and she starts to believe that it is not her fault that her marriage isn't working. I think she is a lost cause in an ocean of emotional distress. She used to talk to her father and it would help her figure out her emotional problems. When she lost contact with her father, her emotioal problems got worse. Unfortunately, this book did not capture my interest. This kind of book about women with emotional problems don't really interest me. Because of this I have been having trouble coming up with things to talk about in this blog. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters. I still think it will be interesting to meet the author. I think it is interesting to find out how authors write their books. I can't imagine writing a book. It must be hard. I hope she doesn't mind that I didn't really like the book. Maybe after she comes to class I'll be able to appreciate the book more.
Finally my last blog I am so happy! I would like to end my last blog by saying first, that this was a very interesting novel. I found Maya Ishida very different from the other main characters in the books I have read. In the novel I feel that Maya couldn’t achieve love and happiness. I agree with Nicholas when he said the whole point of this book was we have to forget the past in order to move on. However, it was very hard for Maya to achieve this. I feel if Maya did achieve this, then she would of probably would have had love and happiness. I think the main reason Maya could not move on, and forget the past is because of her mother. Verbal and physical abuse being received from your own mother is something that is very hard to overcome. I know if I was verbal or physically abused from my own mother as a child, it would be very hard for me to ever overcome and just forget about it. When reading this novel I felt Maya received happiness from her best friend Yuko. I think Yuko brought comfort to Maya’s problem. However in the end Yuko was part of Maya’s problem. Maya didn’t want to tell Yuko about Eric, and when Yuko was told by Maya she became very frustrated. Personally I think Maya brought this problem on behalf of her own self. Yuko was her own best friend and Maya should have been able to tell her. I know if my best friend had ever kept a secret from me for so long, I also would have been furious. This event also stopped Maya from achieving love and happiness. That secret Maya kept from Yuko has changed their friendship, and most likely they will not have the same friendship that they used to have. As far as the author’s use of language I felt it was very good. I was able to visualize the story the whole time when reading the story.
Piggy-backing onto what Nick said about having to travel light in order to succeed, I completely agree. I think this was one of the main themes of the novel. Another part, I think, is also forgiveness. The world would be in such an awful place without forgiveness. Relationships would end suddenly, without a second chance. Friendships would be ruined and parents and children especially would be ripped away from where they need to be. In the novel there were scars left on several characters due to fights and arguments that had been left unresolved for so long that they were permanently imprinted on the receiving person. In many cases Maya was that unfortunate side. Her mother inflicted the most pain on her, but there were others. Her husbands parting words to her, her stepfathers harsh reprimand at the hospital and probably numerous others' in her life all left their mark. Wounds heal, but depending on the intensity of the infliction the bigger and more noticeable the wound will be. Eventually, that wound will heal, but the wounded will have a scar and a fear. In this case Maya had both a scar and a fear. She was scarred by the words and actions against her, and it showed up in her personality, as a cold exterior. She also had a fear. Unconsciously, she thought that her mother and fathers' relationship, as well as all the other failing relationships around her were what love is; nothing but pain and heartache. The examples around her taught her a different perspective of such a wonderful and mysterious human emotion. Maya showed her fear in the same way, by building a wall around her that was virtually impenetrable. The wall grew as she did, so there was never a missing brick to let any emotion through. Maya needed to forgive and forget, and gently undo her wall, brick by brick until she was real again.
I think that i agree with Alicia. I think that if your parents don't support your dreams or goals then it would be harder, and more discouraging to you. I think that if Maya is feeling discouraged and unloved i think that she should prove them wrong, i'm talking about the people that doesn't believe in her, whether it's her mom, husband or friend i think that she needs to find new people tha do believe in her. I think that it's difficult for her to achieve happiness. Most successful relationships are built on trust, honesty, and great communication. I don't think that Maya and her husband had that. If they didn't have that at the beginning then i don't think that they should have got married. But you also have to keep in mind of the culture that they have. Maybe she didn't have no say i whether she wanted to marry that guy or not. She was probably forced to do it. But things like that you never really know for sure.
For awhile, what prevented Maya to fulfill her quest was her past. Her past brought back painful memories that block her path to happiness and love. Love and happiness is hard to get. They are like cooking; you have to have the right ingredients and measurements so that it could come right. Well Maya’s past kept her from creating this wonderful dish. Your past should not be forgotten. You can use your past to learn from the mistakes that you had once made. However, you still should not dwell on your past.
The painful invents in Maya’s past sacred her. Now she is damaging her future. If Maya really wanted to find love and happiness, she would then try to learn from her past. No, all she wants to do is dwell on her past. However in the end she did fulfill her quest. In the end she did find love with Eric. Eric was the main ingredient in her dish. Eric helped fulfill her quest. He understood what was wrong with her. He gave her the attention that she needed. So even though she had to go through a marriage to find happiness and love she still found it.
What I think prevents Maya from achieving happiness was her mom and herself. The reason why I said her mom prevents her from happiness was because she was the reason why Maya and her father stayed isolated from one another for so many years. If Maya’s mom would have let her stay in Osaka, Japan, I think, she would’ve had a better and more exciting life and relationship with her father. Like Becky, and many of my other peers, I also think the reason why Maya can’t achieve happiness and love was because she can’t let go memories from her past. As we all know life is a series of changes. Those changes may come as a blessing and other changes may just destroy a person, but not being able to accept those changes can bring back memories that mentally and physically hold you down, just like they have in this novel to the main character, Maya.
This novel was good and the author Kyoko Mori did a very great job when writing it. Like Malika, the reason I liked this novel was because Kyoko Mori wrote it in present tense, making us, as reader, feel a since of connection with the characters when they were engaged in different situations throughout the novel. Another thing I found great about the novel was how it told how Stone, Field, True and Arrow symbolizes the names of Japanese folks.
I agree with Nick when he says that the point of this whole book is that we must forget the past and move on. It depends on what the person has lived thorough. If you have a happy life then sure you will forget because your whole life was relaxing and nice and you have so many good memories you can forget. Maya does not have that; she has bad memories of her father’s death. Like Nick said it’s mostly because of her mother. I also agree with Twabech, she says that Maya would be happier if she was with Eric. I also agree that Yuko might criticize Maya if she tells her about Eric but it’s also not good to keep secrets from your friends and family. The whole story was good. Ms.Mori made the book fit perfectly together. It plot was interesting and I have never read this kind of writing before. I agree with Malika as well, I tend to judge books by the cover of the book. I did not know if I would like this novel since the cover did not look exciting but the novel was a different experience for me. It taught me that trying new thing might not be so bad.
In agreement with Twabech, I believe that Maya does not have good relationships because she has not seen one. Many people look up to the relationship between their parents whether they idealize it or not. With that example, they decide whether they want to have a relationship like their parents or opposite of their parents. Maya’s mother was never able to show her how a good relationship is. Many of her mother’s relationships have gone bad causing Maya relationship to do the same. This type of thing has now become well known. Her mother set the example for Maya and she just followed it. You parents influence you in most of the things you do in your life. So, when you see your mothers influence and example you have no choice but to be affected. Basically most of the reasons why she could not be successful in finding love or happiness are her mother. Her mother may not have known that she had an impact on her daughter’s life until afterwards. Love and happiness are very hard to come by but it is even harder when you do not have someone to look up to. In the end she was finally able to find love and happiness
This is also my last blog. I enjoyed this book, but I can honestly say I don’t think I have read a book with as many depressed and problematic characters in it. It seemed as though negative things were continuously occurring in a constant flow. The author expressed a lot of the characters feelings throughout this book which kept the reader intertwined in the novel. I feel as though Maya’s character brought almost all of her unhappiness upon herself, and if she had been a stronger person she would have been able to be happy. She needed to learn how to be open with herself instead of keeping her emotions bottled inside of her waiting to burst out. I also agree with Nicholas when he said that the point the author might have been trying to get through to the audience was that you need to let go of the past to move on. You saw how Maya didn’t do this which only causes things to get worse for her. Even though Maya’s mother was very cruel to her, instead of sitting back and allowing her mother to do this it should have made her stronger. For me, I have learned from this book. Even though life isn’t always fair, you shouldn’t just back down, you should fight back so that you are able to survive and so that you are able to make your own choices that will make you happy.
This is a great discussion! I agree with almost everybody on their stated opinions abpit Stone Field, True Arrow. I feel that Maya is very confused and she doesn't know, necessarily, what she wants in life. Maya is more of a follower than I leader, in a way, I feel that she is scared. I feel that her loved ones play a huge part in her misfortune for love and her confusion. Maya needed to learn how to proritize. She comes first, then her friends and the people that were close to her. SHe is what I would call, to an extent, a "people pleaser." She put others before her and let these people control her life. Major decisions in her life were basically based on what she think her close ones would expect or want from her. I don't like the question, "does she have the ability to love." Everybody, definitely, has the ability to love some people just have to search harder for that nature. Without love, this society will not be the same. Love gets you through the harsh and you love everything about love, the ups and the downs. I disagreed with Isabella when she stated that "happiness is impossible." In my opinion, I believe that NOTHING is impossible, anything can happen. Everyone can achieve happiness no matter how messed up your life can be. You find happiness in love.
The author’s use of language was very selective in my opinion. I believe the author knew what point she wanted to get across, and knew what to say to do it. The writing was very detailed, and gave you a vivid image of the novel. Some of the words weren’t exactly words that I would use for the novel, but the author managed to pull it all together. However, I would have made the book more worth reading. It was an average book in my opinion, and wasn’t intriguing enough to maintain my interest. As far as Maya’s shifting life, I agree with Nina on many different aspects. Maya didn’t have enough support to uplift her confidence, so as a result she used failure as an excuse to be miserable. Kay is so in denial about her identity that it reflects on Maya’s life. Kay is Maya’s mother, and as a mother you should be a positive example to your children. It seems that Maya is so dependent on others opinions that she denies what she really wants. She acts as if she’s a third wheel in society. Maya is an individual like everyone else, but she has a naive mentality. Maya is not mature enough to accept that life is full of struggles and challenges, and that you have to work to get what you want. Maya portrays an image as being trapped in an immature, naive mind state, allowing others to interfere with her decisions. Maya won’t accept true love because she hasn’t been shown love, which makes her unable to accept the fact that she can be loved. Maya just needs to build up her self esteem and come out of her shell. She no longer has to follow her mother. Maya should learn from her mistakes, and her mother’s mistakes and move forward with her life.
Nick made a great point. No matter how bad and difficult ypur past may have been, you must let go. If you've had a rough childhood, you can't live miserable your whole life. I'm not saying that you should forget about what happened in your past, but you should learn from what happened and try to prevent your mistakes from repeating. In this case, Maya's mother and boyfriend caused the most pain. She can love and have the ability to live happily, but she has to live with the fact that she had a rough past and learn from the situation.
I noticed that Maya's relationship with Jeff was very strained and she even mentions at one point in a passage nearing the end of the book, "Always, Maya had wanted to keep something to herself, something important that was hers alone." It seems as if she was destined for solitude. It wasn't Maya's fault that their marriage failed- nor was it Jeff's, however. It was the combination of Maya's avoidance and Jeff's inability to move on from his old family. I also don't believe it was Maya's fault that she was treated badly by her mother. Her mother is naturally cold-hearted and that is just her personality. I think her mother should at least try to change her ways and learn to treat people better. I dislike the fact that her mother kept trying to hide her identity and claim she and her daughter were American. I also think Maya should have confided in Yuko when she started seeing Eric, despite the fact that she wanted to keep it a secret, because it created problems with Yuko later on. This is important because Yuko is her only supporter and the only friend she has left. Mostly Maya needs to gain courage to strengthen her relationships. The fact that Maya refused to leave with Eric shows that she is too scared to be adventurous and possibly too scared to live her life. I am not saying it was a bad decision, but it certainly was unpredictable and somewhat odd that she decided to stay far away from the person she loves. It is understandable that she would decide not to leave with him for some reasons. Freedom, maybe, and being unable to leave her home.
Mark made an excellent statement! I never looked at Maya's situation as Mark analyzed. I have to agrre with him, I feel that the divorce was a positive turning point. The divorce was almost as if she was frred from a jail in which she never could escape. Mark got me thinking, I feel that she could have developed a more serious and intimate relationship with Yuko. He is the person that she is most relaxed and loose with, and that is exactly what Maya needs. She never spoke to her husband, they did not have a "real" relationship. That "relationship" with her husband was damaging her life even more, causing her to be more saddened and confused.
Maya Ishida is a beautiful person. She deals with her issues in a different way. She tells her best friend Yuko alomst everything. Sometimes I feel that she learns new things about herself when she converses with Yuko. When she knows she is doing something wrong, her body fills up with guilt. When Maya feels guilty she must be honest, her honesty resulting in the truth about her desire for Eric. Maya wass married to Jeff, but had no feelings for him, she had feelings for Eric. I feel that Maya almost was more intimate with Yuko than with Eric. I feel that it is a very beautiful thing to let the world know who you love. Maya had great weight lifted off her back knowing that she exposed the truth about her love.
From reading many of my peer’s comments, it is clear that the main issue with Maya was her distancing herself from everyone around her. This was probably due to her difficult childhood and turbulent relationship with her mother. Any young person who was locked in the basement by their mother is bound to have some of problems emotionally. However, Maya could have made some changes in her life to make herself happier, but I think that instead of doing that, she always chose to be unhappy. Even when she found Eric, she made the decision of not going with him and I think that if she did she probably would have been more contented than staying behind. Maya obviously went through many changes in her life and I think that she tried not to make a huge deal about them. She seemed like a person who liked to keep her struggles and battles to herself, possibly because she did not want anyone to know that was having issues or that she was weak.
Throughout the novel, Maya tried to understand her life and her purpose, but it was difficult. She could not relate to many people around her except for Yuko and Eric, and even in those relationships there seemed to be things that she held back and did not tell them. I think that she also tried to understand her heritage because she was torn away from her native Japan at a young age. Also, Maya’s mother forced many American ideas into her head out of the hate that she felt for Japan. All of these aspects of her life made it even more difficult to understand her current life, but in the end, although Maya may have not been happy, I think that she had a better understanding of herself.
I agree on what David said about Maya seeing separation as a positive thing in her marriage. Maya is afraid of connecting emotionally with Jeff because of past experiences. All her life has revolved around neglect, and separation. Maya is use to this, but I would think that she would learn from her past, seeing as how it got her and her father nowhere. I think Maya’s father looks at her and see’s her mother. Kay is not the ideal woman that you would love, and as her daughter Maya resembles her. I think that Maya’s father really loved her, but was unable to express his trapped emotions. If anyone was selfish it would be Maya’s father. Kay just was simply in denial, and needed guidance. She was not ready to take the responsibility to be a wife or a mother, but Maya is not Kay. She has her own mind, but her heart has been so hurt, that she seems to think as if what she feels doesn’t even matter.
I would like to finish my blogs by saying that after re reading my peers comments. I realized that there was another reason why Maya wouldn't give herself the opportunity to be happy. Everyone surrounding her hadn't achieved happiness. Yuko was in the middle of a divorce with Dan, her mother wasn't really happy. She just pretended to be. Jeff was also miserable because his marriage with her was dissolving. No one around her was happy. She couldn't really look up to anyone as a role model who had achieved happiness. I disagree with Eric Portillo when he says that Jeff and Maya's relationship was ruined because of the lack of trust. I didn't buy the whole "oh my god you are seeing your ex wife again after several years and now I’m jealous". I think that Maya just used that as an excuse to distance herself even more from Jeff to the point where it was necessary to get a divorce. I agree with Becky when she says that some people, such as Maya, strive better as a sole individual. In this case it might be true, but if Maya knew she wanted to be alone. Then why did she give Eric hope that they would someday be more than friends. She shouldn't have gone a long with it. All she did was cause him to fall in love with her and then break his heart by telling him she can't see him anymore. She knew what she wanted and frankly she had no right to play with his emotions.
No, it is not easy for Maya to love and achieve happiness. In my opinion, Maya is the only thing standing between her and her happiness. She has such a stronghold on the past, that she can’t let go to grab her future. Maya is constantly letting great opportunities go to waste. For instance, her marriage with Jeff. Maya seems to be afraid of commitment, which I think plays a good part with her mother. Maya’s mother married several times, and I believe that might have had an effect on Maya’s relationships. Since her mother didn’t display the ability to commit, Maya cannot continue long, serious relationships. Maya just seems to be very unbalanced, due to the situations that she’s experienced. Her relationship with her father seems to make her distant, which pushes people away. Maya has been so neglected in her past, that she can’t sustain relationships, or all the things that come with it. Overall, each character seems to have many emotional issues which interfere with their life. Maya is not selfish, she is hurt, and does not want to except the fact that she is.
In my opinion, Maya doesn’t understand her own ambiguous life shifting journey. She’s experienced so much negativity that she seems used to it, and can’t move on. Maya is carrying so many burdens from her past, that she is enabling her future. I think that Maya is capable of having the ability to live a healthy life, only if she can face the facts of her past and move on. Sometimes we hold onto the things that need to be torn apart. Maya just feels guilty on her behalf and she wants to feel loved, but doesn’t have the ability to express it. I also agree with Michelle’s perspective on Maya’s relationship with her mother. If Maya’s mother would have been more affectionate and sensitive to her feelings Maya wouldn’t be so emotionally confused. Maya was not shown very much love or affection in her past, which makes it hard for her to hold onto a good thing such as Jeff. She can’t continue to hold onto her past because she’s a grown woman, and she’s old enough to change. Maya seems afraid of commitment, and seems afraid to love. Overall, I don’t think Maya is selfish, but she is lost, and afraid to love somebody because she doesn’t know how.
Although her past seems to hurt her ability to love, I think that by the end she had moved on from her past to an extent. When her father died she had to look back and think about her life however the main reason I think that she moved on was because of Eric. She fell in love with him and even though she did not go with him to Vermont, he made her unhappy with the quiet life that she had chosen (I think that she chose that life because of her past). He also made her talk and think about the decisions she made particularly the one about not becoming a painter since he was a painter himself. My reason for thinking that in some ways she had healed from her past experiences is that she sent the letter to Eric at the end and also she picked up art and drawing again. I think that picking up drawing again is important because after her father didn’t go to her show, I don’t think she ever really painted again. However, I am not sure that if the book had continued she would have ever gone to Eric. I would also like to disagree with Jasmine about the fact that going with Eric would not ruin her friendship with Yuko. I think that it is a different situation than with you and your friend because Maya is in love with Eric. Your relationship would probably change if you or your friend fell in love with somebody. Already, Maya had become a worst friend because of her love. In the book, it says that while Maya was with Yuko she was only half there because she was thinking about Eric. Maya also lied because she wanted to be alone with him. Even though it will be sad to lose such a close friend, even Yuko believes that love is a good reason to hurt or end their friendship.
This is my last post so I decided to end with my ideas on why Jeff’s and Maya’s marriage didn’t work. For one, I think Maya chose to marry him for the wrong reasons. She chose him because he kept his distance and didn’t ask questions. This is not really a good reason to marry someone. The reason that she didn’t marry her college boyfriend, Scott, was that he treated her like she was special (special enough to give up his dream) however she doesn’t seem to want to be treated like this until she meets Eric. Near the end of the book, Yuko says Jeff treated her as a normal person instead of what she was. Another reason that their marriage failed was that she didn’t tell him anything about her life or why she had chosen the life she did. With Eric, she opened up and talked about why she had not become a painter. Another reason their marriage failed is that she valued her friendship to Yuko over their marriage. In the book when Jeff compares Nancy to Yuko, she says that if he ever asked her to not talk to Yuko she would leave him immediately. She also seems to spend more time with Yuko than with her husband. Even when she is with him, she is often thinks about Yuko when she is with Eric, he is all she cares about. The last reason is that she is not really willing to give up her life and dreams for him. Scott was willing to give up his dream; however, she wouldn’t let him because she wouldn’t do the same. Eric was willing to stay with her but again she wouldn’t let him or follow him.
My opinion on why Maya was not able to establish solid relationships has remained the same as before. It is clear that Maya’s mother caused part of the problem, but it was also her husband, who I think wanted to be close to her but instead ended up turning her away because of the type of person that Maya was. I also think that David’s comment about her father freely letting her go to live with her mother in the U.S. is true. If her father truly had a special bond with Maya, I do not think that he would have given her up so quickly at her mother’s request. Maya’s mother who I believe was selfish and childish was really not that much different from her own daughter. In fact, I think that part of the reason why they could not coexist happily was because their personalities were so similar and they did not know.
Both, in my opinion, were self-centered, cold and childish, but to different extents. Maya’s mother was extremely selfish and did not seem to care much for her child. She also ended her marriage badly with her second husband and I do not think that she really put much effort into making him feel like a part of her life. She was also very childish in her conversations with Maya. It seemed as if she was trying to turn Maya away from her father only because of her own past experiences with him. However, Maya was not much different. She was more subdued, but she had the same cold-hearted demeanor and she did not seem to work very hard to keep her relationship with her husband alive. Although she was quite withdrawn, her mother was not much different. Beneath Kay’s loud and boisterous behavior was something hidden, which I think was her genuine identity, that she kept hidden just as Maya did.
In the novel, I think that Maya was a very believable character, as were many of the other characters. They all seemed like people who one knows and live in their neighborhood. Also, because the author chose to write in present tense, it in a sense changed the meaning of the story because it was happening now instead of in the past. Maya’s journey, if one were to really think about it, was not much different from any other person’s journey in life. Everyone encounter battles that they must fight through in order to find meaning and understand themselves more. Also, everyone has people in their family or that they meet who have a great effect on their life whether it is a positive effect or a negative effect. Although all of our personalities are very diverse, we all have to go through some type of struggle to reach something better, and in Maya’s case I think it was finally finding that peace within her.
I think that Maya may have been better off if she had left with Eric. I think that Eric was a person who made her happy and she deserved him, but perhaps the reason why she did not go with him was because she feared what could happen. I think that she was either afraid that their relationship would end in shambles or she just did not want to be romantically involved with anyone after her bad relationship with her husband. Whatever the case may be, I think that Maya did find some type of happiness in the end.
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