37 pages • 1 hour read
All I Asking for Is My Body
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Symbols & Motifs
Debt
The debt that the Oyama family inherited and built upon is a constant presence in their lives. It consumes their thoughts, and, according to their superstitions, almost costs Mrs. Oyama her life. As oppressive as the debt is, it is also something that ties the family together: “Every child must repay his parents” (30). It gives them a common purpose, and all decisions are considerate of the existing debt.
When Kiyo wins $6,000 playing craps and sends it back to his family, it seems like more than a discharging of a debt. It seems like the death of the Oyama family as it once existed. Without the debt hanging over their heads, each family member is free to pursue their own needs and desires. This adjustment may be difficult for Mr. and Mrs. Oyama, who have spent the whole of their adult lives working off one debt or another.
Retribution and Substitution
Mrs. Oyama sees herself as being punished for the bad deeds of others. She convinces herself and Kiyo that she will die because of the inherited debt. Obaban believes that it is possible for one person to serve as a substitute for another’s bad deeds, and she offers herself as a sacrifice so that Mrs. Oyama may live to raise her children.
This idea of a substitute underscores the collective nature of Japanese society. In an individualist society, the idea that one person is responsible for another person’s actions is unfair. Mr. and Mrs. Oyama acted as substitutes, working and paying off the debt of Mr. Oyama’s father. They expect their children to do the same for them.
The Body
Tosh repeatedly says that all he’s asking for is his body. Not only was he repeatedly hit throughout childhood, but now that he is old enough to work, his parents insist that he use his body to labor for the good of the family. He describes the family’s debt as his father sitting on him and draining him of life. Kiyo supplies Tosh with the money to pay off their family’s debt and encourages him to take care of “the body.” The body symbolizes individualism and freedom over oneself.
It is interesting that Kiyo understands Tosh’s need for bodily autonomy, but he is incapable of understanding why Michie Kutsunai would want to control her body. Kiyo wants to use his classmate’s body for his own pleasure, without any thought to her needs and desires.
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