November Notations

Yoko Kawashima
In the story “So Far From the Bamboo Grove” the main characters name is Yoko Kawashima, and in the story she tells about her childhood in a war torn Korea and Japan.
Yoko Kawashima was born in Nanam Korea even though she is Japanese. When war breaks loose the Kawashima family tries to head for Aomori to meet there grandparents, which they later hear are dead. Throughout the story Yoko is most often called “Little One” or “Noisy One” by her mother and her older siblings Ko and Hideyo because she is the youngest in the family and because she complains about everything. After hearing about the grandparent’s death, the family heads for Seoul Korea. As they begin their journey, Hideyo enlists in the Japanese Imperial Army. The three women in the family beg of him to stay. Hideyo, too stubborn to listen to his mother and sisters, goes anyway. After a couple of days the family learns that Hideyo is not smart enough to be in the army so they send him to an ammunition factory.
Near the middle of the story the Kawashima family board a medical train filled with severely wounded and extremely sick people. Feeling sorry for the patients, Yoko gave them water when they were thirsty. After being on the train the family makes it to Seoul where they wait at a refugee camp for Hideyo. Hideyo never comes and as soldiers start heading into Seoul, the heartbroken Kawashima family must flee Seoul, for Japan where the war won’t affect them since the Japanese have now lost.
When Yoko and the rest of the family make it back to Japan, Yoko’s mother decides that it is best for Yoko and her sister Ko to go back to school for an education. On her first day, the girls at Yoko’s school call her “Rag doll” for her beaten appearance. At first frustrated Yoko learns to ignore the name calling and focus on school work. Yoko later earns prize money for writing an outstanding essay and is put in the paper. The girls, amazed by this keep their mouths shut and just stare at her with disgust.
As Yoko and Ko return from school, the mother dies. A Korean family comes and takes the girls to their house so that they have a place to stay and sleep. Having still a limited amount of money Yoko spends it on food for her and her sister. In the end of the story the brother, Hideyo, finally returns and tells them how he escaped from North Korea.