CULTURE 5 – ASIAN PACIFIC
AMERICAN LITERATURE
Bibliography
Say,
Allen. 1999. TEA WITH MILK. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN
0395904951
Brief Summary Plot
A
Japanese American girl called Masako by her parents, but May by all others, has
recently graduated high school in San Francisco. May’s dream of attending
college in the near future is quickly interrupted when her parents decide to
return to their native country of Japan because of their homesickness. May is
no more and Masako must learn to absorb a culture, which is foreign to her. She
must return to school, although already graduated, to learn the Japanese
language. Her classmates, who consider her a “gaijin,” a foreigner, shun her.
The customs of her parent’s native country seem irrelevant to her, especially
when she learns of an arrangement made by a matchmaker, at the request of her
parents. May/Masako decides to leave her parent’s home and pursue a life that
she can have control over in the urban environment of Osaka. This decision
proves to hold great promise for her as she finds employment and also the
affection of a man who has similar interests. As this relationship develops and
grows, May/ Masako learns that her happiness and home is where you make it.
Critical Analysis
Allen Say has written a story, which recounts his mother’s
upbringing as a young Japanese American girl living in San Francisco, the
struggle of relocating to her parent’s homeland of Japan, and eventually
releasing her inability to be inclusive to both cultures as her journey
included starting her own family.
The character of May/Masako is challenged from the onset of
the book with two very different cultures. On page one we see May standing
outside her home. She is dressed as any small girl would in a dress with
matching socks and shoes. Hanging from the doorframe of her home is the
American flag, as her father is partially hidden behind the curtain. As she
assimilates into the American way of life, her friends call her May, she eats
pancakes, fried chicken, and spaghetti, and she speaks English. She has hopes
of attending college and getting her own apartment one day. At home, Masako is
spoken to only in Japanese. Her meals consist of green tea, rice, and miso
soup.
Her life quickly changes with the move to Japan. Details
from the book, which cite examples of Japanese culture, include Masako having
to wear kimonos, sitting on the floor instead of chairs, living in a drafty
house with paper windows, and being given lessons on how to become a proper
lady. As is custom in Japan, she must also bow as part of the traditional
Japanese greeting. May/ Masako clearly
does not want to disappoint her parents, but at the same time her character is
determined to seek out a life for herself. As May contemplates her future one
night in bed after her arranged meeting between her and her potential husband,
she states, “I could never marry someone like that. Never!” Masako, May’s birth
name, is frequently used throughout the book. When she meets Joseph, Masako is
quick to let him know that she prefers for him to call her May.
The setting initially takes place in San Francisco and
shifts halfway across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. The illustrations do not
indicate that the family’s home was located in a large metropolis like San
Francisco, yet when May leaves her parent’s home to take the train to Osaka,
she once again feels excitement.
Cultural markers for text include names of characters, which
are Masako or as her parents call her Ma-chan, which are both Japanese names.
Although the text does not specifically mention any physical attributes, the
text is specific to the Japanese culture.
Examples to the cultural marker of identification of a
specific culture include wearing kimonos, sitting on the floor “for long
stretches,” taking lessons in calligraphy, flower arranging, and the tea
ceremony. The hiring of a matchmaker for potential suitors for Masako can also
be considered an identifying cultural marker. Her mother says to her, “A young
lady needs a husband from a good family.” In contrast to her Japanese
upbringing, May clearly and quite forcibly tells her mother, “A husband! I’d
rather have a turtle than a husband!” A final example specific to Japanese culture
is the traditional bow, which all proper Japanese ladies do.
First language is identified with the mention of character
names, as previously stated and schoolmates calling her “Gaijin,” which means
“foreigner” in Japanese. Cultural markers for foods are also cited in the story
with the mention of miso soup, plain green tea, and rice. In contrast to
drinking tea plain, May likes to drink her tea with milk and sugar because that
is how she used to drink it in America with her friends. When she meets Joseph,
her future husband, he too likes his tea with sugar and milk.
The illustrations are also the work of the author, Allen
Say. The pictures contribute equally to the story, as does the text. The
balance between the text and the watercolor images are quite complimentary. The
first illustration depicted shows May in San Francisco outside her home. The
picture is bleak with an almost black and white simplicity to it. As the story
evolves, color is added to the illustrations. Sometimes the hues are subdued,
while at other times the color is bright and bold. These changes can be noted
as May/ Masako begins to assert herself, especially as she makes her way to
Osaka.
Cultural markers for skin tone and facial features are a
realistic portrayal of Japanese ethnicity as Allen Say has authentically
differentiated his characters varying skin tone, hairstyles, facial features,
and body types. Some characters are represented with short, dark hair, while
other female characters are seen with wearing a knot of hair, similar to the
more traditional chignon.
Examples of clothing cultural markers can be seen as Masako/
May assimilates into Japanese culture when she must wear the kimono. The
illustration on page 7 shows her posture slightly slumped over a definite true
representation to her dissatisfaction with her situation. As May/ Masako is
sitting on the floor in her kimono for her calligraphy lesson, her posture is
stiff and her facial expression is blank. Throughout the book, most women are
wearing kimonos with the traditional obi. Some male characters are also seen
wearing subdued kimonos. A clash of cultures can be seen when May/ Masako
clothes herself in “the brightest dress she had brought from California.” This
act could be seen as May’s way of asserting herself.
Cultural markers for architecture and homes are accurately
on display with the text description of May’s home in Japan having paper
windows and being drafty. Her homes seems to have very little furniture, as
indicated when she has to sit on the floor “until her legs were numb.” When the
matchmaker introduces May to the young banker, the illustration depicts May and
her suitor stiffly sitting in an open area reminiscent of a Japanese garden.
The themes throughout this book include cultural identity,
acceptance, family, tradition, and loneliness, and finding your way. Readers
can identify with moving from a familiar place one calls home, having to make
new friends, being accepted for who you are, and not having to change to meet
another person’s expectation of what they think you should become. As Joseph
tells May as they make plans for a life together, “home isn’t a place or a
building that’s ready-made and waiting for you, in America or anywhere else.”
Awards
Best Children’s Book of the Year, 2000 Bank Street College
of Education
Notable Children’s Book, 2000 American Library Association
School Library journal Best Books, 1999 Cahners
Special Interest Group of the International Reading
Association, 2000 Special Interest Group of the International Reading
Association
Review Excerpts
Horn Book Guide
reviewed September1, 1999: Continuing to explore place and home, Say tells the story of
his mother, first introduced to readers in Tree of Cranes. Born in California
to Japanese immigrants, Masako is miserable when she moves to Japan with her
parents after high school. The illustrations capture Masako's unhappiness and
also her eventual contentment as she learns to combine two cultures.
Kirkus Review reviewed
April 1, 1999: In
describing how his parents met, Say continues to explore the ways that
differing cultures can harmonize; raised near San Francisco and known as May
everywhere except at home, where she is Masako, the child who will grow up to
be Say’s mother becomes a misfit when her family moves back to Japan. Rebelling
against attempts to force her into the mold of a traditional Japanese woman,
she leaves for Osaka, finds work as a department store translator, and meets
Joseph, a Chinese businessman who not only speaks English, but prefers tea with
milk and sugar, and persuades her that “home isn’t a place or a building that’s
ready-made or waiting for you, in America or anywhere else.” Painted with
characteristic control and restraint, Say’s illustrations, largely portraits,
begin with a sepia view of a sullen child in a kimono, gradually take on
distinct, subdued color, and end with a formal shot of the smiling young couple
in Western dress. (Picture book. 7-9)
School Library Journal
reviewed May 1, 1999: Say's many fans will be thrilled to have another episode in
his family saga, which he relates with customary grace and elegance. The pages
are filled with detailed drawings featuring Japanese architecture and clothing,
and because of the artist's mastery at drawing figures; the people come to life
as authentic and sympathetic characters. This is a thoughtful and poignant book
that will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly our nation's many
immigrants who grapple with some of the same challenges as May and Joseph,
including feeling at home in a place that is not their own. Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library,
Portland, OR
Connections
Students can identify the differences and similarities
between both the Japanese culture and American culture. Students can chart each
and discuss.
Students can discuss what family traditions they have within
their own family.
Students can discuss and chart what culture is and give
examples.
Students can discuss how Masako felt out of place when she
had to go back to school in Japan. Students can write about their feelings when
they were in a new situation and what they did to feel like they belonged.
Students can research their own ancestry by interviewing
relatives.
References
Kirkus Review. “Tea with Milk” Kirkusreview.com
(accessed November 5, 2015)
TWU Library Database – Books In Print
(accessed November 5, 2015)
TWU
Library Database - Children’ Literature Comprehensive Database
(accessed November 5, 2015)
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