Prompt 9

The Family Game portrays the Japanse family as a divided front, where all members are at the mercy of the father. The mother was the one that made sure the kids were acting they way they should and doing what they should at school. The kids did what the father wanted with encouragement from their father. Self-image and worth rely heavily on where one is educated. One must go to Seibu High School to be of any worth and to graduate with the best grades just to be of some meaning. There are many interpersonal dynamics that show in every personal relationship. This is seen between Shineyuki's relationship with Yohimoto, the tutor. The two figured out each other's weaknesses, and used them to get along. Yohimoto discovered the boy's weakness and taught him how to fight. In turn his teachings forced the boy to work hard and to focus. The purpose of the young wife was to show how separated and distant people are from one another in Japan. She needed a friend and in the city, the only people you might talk to is your family. The boys and the mother dying shows that they, having completed their goals, couldn't possibly move any farther in the congested world of Japan and all of it's shortcomings.