All I Asking For Is My Body shows us the struggle of Toshio and Kiyoshi. Their parents have burdened them with traditional points of view. Traditionally the number one son is required to work in order to pay off their parent's debts. Tosh, being the oldest son, has to give up his desire to become more than just another worker in the fields. He works for years so that he can attempt to pay off his father's debt. He doesn't feel that this is fair because his father brought the debt upon himself. Tosh speaks out and his mother tells him that if he can't be counted on, then Kiyoshi will become the number one son.
Toshio sees that his parents will probably never let him reach his full potential. "All I asking for is my body. I not even asking them to send me to high school" (Murayama 55). He knows that there's no way that his parents will give him the money to go to high school. He's not asking for that. He's simply asking for them to permit him to make his own choices. It's almost as if his parents control what his life will become because they're demanding him to work. They're not giving him a choice, they automatically expect him to drop all his personal plans so that he can help them out. If he doesn't live up to his parent's expectations, they'll turn that burden over to Kiyoshi. Toshio doesn't want his brother to live with that which is why he continues to subject himself to that torture.
It's not much to ask for. He's not asking them to help him achieve what he wants. His only request is for his parents to allow him to go after his goals. Unlike the majority of the guys around him, he doesn't want to settle. The "good" number one sons have made their parents happy and they've helped them greatly. The problem is that they haven't even thought about looking beyond the established boundaries and expectations. Toshio is too smart to blindly follow tradition. He questions authority and wants more than what he's given. He's asking for the opportunity to walk his own path.
What a great way to explain what Tosh wants "to walk his own path." That is exactly what Tosh wants to do to get his own freedom and not just for himself but Kiyoshi too. Even with all Tosh's complaining he stays around to help out the family and Kiyoshi. As you said this is what Tosh would count as "torture" having to stay around and become a boring ordinary worker with no dreams of something bigger. Now with Kiyoshi paying the whole debt does Kiyoshi become number one son or is it still Tosh?
ReplyDeleteIt sucks that he can't do what he wants to do I mean not in a bad way but he can't like have a childhood like he wants too, like a normal kid he has to work to pay of a debt that he had nothing to do with, even though its a tradition I think that's a little intense especially for a kid like that and even though he complains a lot he is still there so even though he wants to take his own path and go in his own direction he stays because it is his family and he loves them and wants the best for them so he obviously cares enough to stay.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarahi -
ReplyDeleteI liked how you pointed out Tosh just wanted to have the ability to make his own choices. I believe he would have still helped the family, but within his own terms. I believe it is important to use critical thinking when it comes to expectations from the family or society.
Thank you,
Sarah Baker
I think it was very significant when you said that his parents did not want him to go to his full potential. It was because they were afraid of stepping out of there social class and they don't want him to get hurt because he is one of there main sources of income. Good Insights.
ReplyDelete-Callie