In the story "Seventeen Syllables" written by Hisaye Yamamoto, a mother with newly developed passion for creativity is Tome Hayashi, a Japanese woman who had come to

Hayashi's life was not a happy one. She had been through so much, borne the things that were unbearable, and possibly had been hurt so very deeply that she almost closed her heart. Hayashi came to the United States and became a first generation Japanese-American mother, leaving behind a broken relationship with a man of higher social class and her country. By having a relationship with a man of higher social standing, she defies the traditional role and value expected of a Japanese woman. Even though I think such a social stratification is preposterous, it is the way it has always been for thousand of years. Hayashi, who is a wife and a mother, develops an identity outside both of these roles. By writing Haiku, she is entitled to a new role beyond being a wife and a mother; her creativity moves her beyond the traditional family role given to her by the society and her husband. Hayashi's creativity helps to free herself from her social role, but it is clear that she does not take pressure from society alone, but also from her husband. It is very obvious that her husband is discontented with Hayashi's new identity because she had not been kind of a loving and caring wife he wanted her to be. As his frustration level increases, his anger gradually builds up and eventually reaches its pinnacle, where he takes the award brought to Hayashi for her achievements in Haiku, and breaks it up and burns it. Upon destruction of the award, he completely destroys her dignity, sense of self, the marriage, and her identity.

Perhaps what both Rosie and her mother were trying to reject was the knowledge and the fact that, at least in their youth, they had less control over their own lives than did men-Hayashi was not in control of her own life and now Rosie is not either...

I think that a man never feels secure when someone he loves so deeply has anything to do with another man. In the story, I think Whiston feels insecure while struck with a strong sense of frustration and along with it, it comes the unquenchable anger and resentment toward Sam Adams as well as himself for not being able to do anything that would keep his love under his "wings" other than sit and watch his wife dancing with another man. It would not be difficult for me to understand his feelings because I would have felt the same way if I were in his shoes and personally I do not think I could guarantee that I would not do anything silly if Sam Adams kept "busting my bubbles." I think all men have a strong sense of self, which tells them that it is their responsibility to protect their women. When Whiston watches his wife dance with Sam Adams, I cannot imagine the jealousy and frustration that are building up inside him. "How much I wish I was the one to dance with her!" he must have said to himself, but at the same time, there was probably nothing he could do. I think Elsie was a little bit over the line as well. It seems as if she was doing everything deliberately to aggravate her husband, or perhaps it was even an insult. She should have understood her husband better than that. Whiston is a man, and as a wife, she should know what her husband would have felt like if she got too close to another man and in this case that man is Whiston's boss. She should have expected Whiston to react strongly and vehemently about her and Adams at the dance party for her being indifferent to his feelings as a wife. Of course no one would have the right to take the fun away from her, but I definitely think that she had crossed the line. She knows that Whiston loves her and judging from his reactions at the dance party, she should have known that Whiston was a bit sore and frustrated, but she still kept "busting his bubbles" until he could not take it anymore and slapped her across the face. I think if either side could have been a little more understanding, especially Elsie, the whole thing would not have ended like this. Of course, that is not what happened, because the main

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sam Adams, Hayashi United, Hayashi Rosie, Wouldn't Sammy, DH Lawrence, Hayashi Japanese, Sammy Despite, White Stocking, Seventeen Syllables, , sam adams, rosie mother, control own, seventeen syllables, control own life, don't tell, conversations rosie, sense self, own life, story seventeen syllables, society husband, kept busting bubbles, relationship social, low class job, loving caring wife,
Approximate Word count = 2708
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)