Symbols in A Pale View of Hills

Symbols in A Pale View Of Hills
By Tanya Earp

There are many different symbols throughout the entire book of A Pale View Of Hills. The reader has to make their own inferences of what they feel are symbols and how they effect the story. The symbols to the story may be huge and brought up a few times, whereas some may only be mentioned once. Below you will find just a few examples of symbols that I found in the story. These are narrative stories to get a feel of what the book was portraying.

The "Peace Park" statue is a symbol of death and the atomic bomb:

The peace memorial was in the center of the city. The park was known as the "Peace Park". Etsuko saw this statue as in memory of those who were killed by the atomic bomb. She saw the statue as a Greek god with both arms outstretched. The right hand pointed to the sky where the bomb had came from, and the left hand was holding back evil. The eyes of the statue were closed as in a meditation of prayer. Etsuko saw the statue with a "cumbersome appearance" and could never associate it with what really occurred on the day of the bombing. Etsuko reveals the statue looked like a "policeman directing traffic" and appeared somewhat "comical". For Etsuko, the statue remained nothing but a statue. She assumed she was not the only one that felt that way. The statue symbolizes the atomic bomb. There is no peace for Etsuko when seeing the statue, but she remembers what happened on that horrific day (pg. 137 & 138). The symbol is that the statue is not a symbol of the atomic bomb. Etsuko remembers what really happened that day by seeing the statue, but does not feel it is adequate. The description Etsuko gives of the hand holding back evil is another symbol in itself. Their town was destroyed, and the statue is showing protection.

Pictures from Virtual Tour of Nagasaki

Inasa is a symbol of new growth and hope for the future:

There were sounds of hammers, machinery and ship horns. For Etsuko, these sounds were good. They were the sounds of rebuilding what had been torn down. These sounds were uplifting to the spirits of the people. The cable car was being pushed up, while another was "falling down". A young man told Etsuko to notice the television tower on the way, because by the next year they would be going to the top. As they get to the top the town becomes smaller beneath them. The ground was not made of cement as they got to the top, but of grass. This area is full of trees and grass, where Nagasaki is a pile of rubble. This area is green, where Nagasaki is muddy and stinky. Etsuko looks out over the harbor and the foot hills and sees the building of houses and buildings. This is a symbol of growth. When Etsuko is looking down on Nagasaki, she sees hope and the turn around after the bombing of her town. The scene from Inasa park was like the bombing had never happened. Everything around them was full of life and Etsuko was enjoying the breeze. The first symbol is reflecting what their life used to be before the atomic bomb. The grass is green and their are trees with bark on the ground. This seems to be a way of escape for Etsuko. She also sees the symbol of growth on the way up the mountain with all the new building that is going on down below. Etsuko shows contentment seeing Nagasaki come back to life.

The rope is a symbol of death:

The rope symbolizes the death of Etsuko's daughter Keiko. The first entry regarding the rope is on page 72, when Etsuko is looking for Mariko by the river. A piece of rope is caught around Etsuko's ankle and when she picks it up she sees Mariko sitting in the dark. Mariko is afraid of the rope, while Etsuko tries to tell her moving away is going to be a good thing for her. The same scene is set up again when Etsuko was running after Mariko, but the narrators language changes to make us visualize she is chasing Keiko. She says on page 173, "if you don't like it over there, we can always come back. Yes, I promise, If you don't like it over there, we'll come straight back. But we have to try it and see if we like it there. I'm sure we will". The girl keeps asking about the rope as in the prior scene that is almost identical. Etsuko gets upset and wonders why she is afraid of her. Etsuko is holding the rope during this conversation. The last part of the rope concludes with Keiko hanging herself after she had moved away. She is not found for days. The narrator is trying to give the reader clues with the two identical scenes. The rope appears to be pulling at Etsuko's guilt for making Keiko go to England, where Keiko never did fit in. The rope reveals the scene where she promises her daughter if she doesn't like it that they will come back. They never came back and Keiko hung herself. There is also a comparison between Mariko and Keiko. They are both Japanese girls that don't want to move away, and are begging to stay home.

Ogata-San is a symbol of Japanese Nationalism:

Ogata-San was a teacher and in the Japanese military. He felt very strong of his values. Ogata-San spent his visit with his son Jiro trying to get him to write a letter to his colleague Shigeo Matsuda. Jiro ignores him as a symbol of losing respect for his father and the values he was taught. Shigeo Matsuda wrote an article claiming that Ogata-San was teaching horrible ideas. Ogata is angry and confronts Matsuda, but there is no resolution. As Japan is changing, so are the people. Ogata-San wanted Japan to stay the way it was, but with a different generation ideas and thoughts were changing.

Sachiko is a symbol of an unfit mother:

She lives in a cottage by the river, which is among the ruins of the atomic bomb. Sachiko's husband died in the bombing and she is a single mother in Japan. She also has a relationship with an American soldier named Frank. The women in Nagasaki will not speak to her, but there is a friendship formed by Etsuko. Etsuko, who is pregnant, finds the relationship between Sachiko and her daughter Mariko as very strange. She never knew where her daughter was, but did not portray to be alarmed at her disappearance. Etsuko would stay with Mariko while her mother was out and about. Etsuko is very concerned with the lack of supervision that Sachiko gives to her daughter. Sachiko explains that once they get to America everything will be better. Sachiko is also a symbol of denying reality.

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