Kamikaze

summary

• an unnamed woman's father left on a kamikaze mission when she was a girl but did not complete it
• the woman explains to her children why he returned, guessing what he may have thought
• she imagines that he saw fishing boats, thought of his own family's boats and remembered his childhood
• his wife did not speak to him on his return, nor did his neighbours, and the children learned to ignore him as well, so his daughter does not really know what he may have been thinking

key aspects

• the description and imagery relating to fishing and the sea evoke a strong sense of place and family
• two distinct voices are created: the speaker's and that of the daughter herself
• the father's lack of voice is also important

key setting: the sea

• Garland presents the sea as beautiful in its own right
• she emphasises both colour and light in creating the setting, making it clear how such an image might well have persuaded the pilot to abandon his mission and live
• the picture built up of the sea teeming with all its life is one of hope, and as readers we can understand how the pilot could have been reminded of a childhood on the shore building piles of stones
• it is also significant that Garland chooses a noun signifying a burial mound or place of ceremonial value that the pilot remembers building, rather than simply a heap of stones
• this may contrast with the life-affirming imagery of the fish in the waters, or it may imply ritualistic games of waiting for their…