Essay 4

Estela Bustamante

Lauren Servais

English 100

8 December 2010

The good son

            In the Chinese culture, as well as in its surroundings, it’s of high importance to be filial piety; however, the influences of a more liberal American culture had over the two children who grew up under the strict beliefs of a Japanese father add a variation to the meaning of being a “good filial son”.  Toshio and Kiyoshi are the sons of two Japanese immigrants who have a debt that needs to be pay.  Similarly to most Japanese families, it’s the duty of a “good filial son” to help his parent, and so, Tosh and Kiyo are to put their parents’ needs before those of their own, in this case by helping them pay the debt.

            The Japanese camp in Hawaii was merely form by immigrants who had brought with them their traditions and beliefs.  Among these beliefs was that of being filial to one’s parents and elders, which is the primary value in this culture.  According to the web site wisegeek, filial piety is a concept created by a philosopher named Confucius (551 BCE), which was later adopted by the Buddhism religion in China expanding, also, to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.  The definition of filial piety includes the respect that we, the youth, must pay our parents along with unconditional obedience, love, and care; however, filial piety is much more complex that just that.  A definition of the term is also provided by the Washington State University, which states that “Being a filial son meant complete obedience to one's parents during their lifetime and--as they grew older--taking the best possible care of them”.  Moreover, it’s the son’s responsibility to ensure the continuation of the family line by adopting a child or taking a second wife, if the first one fails on giving birth to a male child; while, the responsibilities of a “good filial women” were to serve and obey the husband’s family as well as baring a boy in order to bring pride to her family.

            Mr. and Mrs. Oyama had a clear idea of what a “good” filial son must be like, and Toshio wasn’t what they had expected.  Toshio had a strong character, similar to that of his mother, and he was not to settle with such a debt without a fight.  It wasn’t fair for Toshio and Kiyoshi to take over their shoulders a debt that was caused by their grandfather’s bad investment and the extreme devotion of their parents for him.  Everyone could turn out involve in a misfortunate situation; however, it’s not to be solve by bringing more misfortune to one’s love ones.  The responsibility of a son or daughter to his/her parents comes on second place after s/he’s taken the decision of forming a family of their own.  This doesn’t mean that one would stop loving and caring for his or her parents, but simply that one’s priorities have changed.  For example, while for a single son/daughter the problems of his/her parents might be the main reason of mortification and uneasiness, for a married individual the well being of a spouse and/or children, if any, will naturally come before anyone else’s.  Therefore, it’s not Mr. and Mrs. Oyama’s responsibility to provide Mr. Oyama’s father with monetary stability by jeopardizing the stability of their own family.  Toshio and his parents were “good” filial children to their respective parents; however, Toshio’s parents were blindly helping someone without considering the changed on their responsibilities when they formed a family of their own, while Toshio understood that it wasn’t necessarily the responsibility of a child to support his/her parents.  Toshio might not appear as a “good” filial son for many, as he was very disrespectful to his parents.  Nevertheless, he had the opportunity to leave his family behind and run away with the money he was making as a boxer but he decided to stay and help them, perhaps, because he knew the shame the he would bring to his parents.

            Cultural beliefs, and religion, among many other discussions, are subject to one’s interpretation.  While for some, Toshio might seem as a disgraceful son; for others, he’s simply someone with poor communication skills and an explosive temper that wishes for a better life for him and his family.  However, the frustration his feels for not being able to make his parents understand his way of thinking along with the strong character, inherent from his mother, turn him into a bully.  Toshio might not be the classic example of a good filial son, since he lacks of the basic respect that he must show to his parents, but he still posses the care and love for them, regardless of their different ways of thinking.