All I Asking For Is My Body Milton Murrayama Analysis
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All I asking for is my body In All I asking for is my body, Milton Murayama describes a family whose entire existence rests on filial piety. Filial piety is the belief that children should honor their parents at all costs. For example, when Mr. Oyama’s father left his children with massive debt, he counted on their filial piety to pay it back. The Oyamas are honor bound to repay this obligation, which has left them poor and hopeless. This means that Toshio, the eldest son, is expected to take on the debt because of his filial obligation. However, he does not completely buy into this tradition; he believes the debt is not his to repay. Mr. and Mrs. Oyama are traditional Japanese parents who demand filial perfection from Toshio,…show more content… He does not understand their blind acceptance of the debt. Toshio condemns his parents for allowing it to control the family. He knows his parents cannot save money and will keep falling further into debt. He stays, works, and gives them his earnings because he is pressured to pay off the debt. He tells Kiyoshi not to let his parents burden him with the family obligation. Toshio believes the debt is not Kiyoshi and his to begin with. But because of their parents’ narrow-minded view of this burden, escape does not seem…show more content… This statement is profound. He knows that as long as his family has a burden of debt he will never be able to live as he wishes. Toshio wants a chance to be free in mind and body. He knows that his parents are delusional, as described in Ericsson’s “The Way We Lie”. The parents believe so much in filial piety that they cannot see how the grandfather was a thief and placed a huge, unfair burden upon the family. They are blinded by tradition, as is Koru in the “Whale Rider”, who believes traditions are not to be questioned. Both Koro and the Oyamas adhere to customs that have been handed down from generation to generation and cannot be challenged, especially by children. It is inconceivable to Toshio’s parents that he even questions their authority, the family’s values, and most of all repaying the family