Relationships are a two-way street, demanding communication, trust, and respect from both involved parties in order to thrive. In Chang-Rae Lee’s novel, A Gesture Life, an elderly Japanese man, Franklin Hata, is haunted by his failures to leave his mark on society. Living nothing but the titular “gesture life,” Hata fails to establish emotional connections with those around him, especially after witnessing and participating in the abuse and murder of a young comfort woman during his time as a medical officer in World War II. Even decades later, after settling comfortably down in the United States in the affluent city of Bedley Run and gaining the respect of its citizens, Hata maintains a fascination and exaggerated concern for his own reputation,
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He seems to love her, even going to far as to acknowledge that Mary would be the perfect mother for his idealistic and unattainable “perfect family.” However, naturally, he questions his own abilities, wondering if he is “up to the tasks of being a worthy partner and husband” (313). Although at first glance, Hata’s concerns seem modest and even admirable, upon closer inspection, it is revealed his inability to form a strong romantic relationship is once again thwarted by his own self-concern— whether he is “up to the task.” In fact, his constant “straying in both thought and deed,” suggests that Hata would indeed not be a worthy partner, as he is never ready to settle too solidly in a relationship (140). He describes his suggestion to Mary that she sell her house and move in with him as “slipping most horribly” (140). Hata fails to pause for a moment and consider how happy Mary would be at such a proposal, and attributes the idea as a mere slip of the tongue and chooses never to speak of it again. Hata’s lack of empathy and his inability to allow others into his life keep him from impacting the lives of those outside his own and making the mark on the world that he so desires. As Hata himself states, Mary’s “daughters’ distance was an ever-deepening disappointment to [Mary]” (69). It is Hata’s emotional distance from Mary, K, and his daughter that is the reason behind his disappointing relationship failures. How can he live a fulfilling, worthwhile life when his life is just a bubble encasing only
He seems to love her, even going to far as to acknowledge that Mary would be the perfect mother for his idealistic and unattainable “perfect family.” However, naturally, he questions his own abilities, wondering if he is “up to the tasks of being a worthy partner and husband” (313). Although at first glance, Hata’s concerns seem modest and even admirable, upon closer inspection, it is revealed his inability to form a strong romantic relationship is once again thwarted by his own self-concern— whether he is “up to the task.” In fact, his constant “straying in both thought and deed,” suggests that Hata would indeed not be a worthy partner, as he is never ready to settle too solidly in a relationship (140). He describes his suggestion to Mary that she sell her house and move in with him as “slipping most horribly” (140). Hata fails to pause for a moment and consider how happy Mary would be at such a proposal, and attributes the idea as a mere slip of the tongue and chooses never to speak of it again. Hata’s lack of empathy and his inability to allow others into his life keep him from impacting the lives of those outside his own and making the mark on the world that he so desires. As Hata himself states, Mary’s “daughters’ distance was an ever-deepening disappointment to [Mary]” (69). It is Hata’s emotional distance from Mary, K, and his daughter that is the reason behind his disappointing relationship failures. How can he live a fulfilling, worthwhile life when his life is just a bubble encasing only