The Kittens and the Wooden Box

A Pale View of Hills

The kittens become a concrete test of whether Sachiko will honor Mariko’s attachments when departure and uncertainty make care inconvenient.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Cat in the Cottage A Cat in the Cottage from "A Pale View of Hills". An Animal Companion A child’s attachment Mariko lies beside a cat in the dim cottage and tells Etsuko that it will have kittens.

A Cat in the Cottage from "A Pale View of Hills". An Animal Companion A child’s attachment Mariko lies beside a cat in the dim cottage and tells Etsuko that it will have kittens.

An Animal Companion A child’s attachment Mariko lies beside a cat in the dim cottage and tells Etsuko that it will have kittens. She offers one to Etsuko, treating the animals as part of the small world she can claim as her own. An uneasy detail Mariko also says that another woman promised to take a kitten and invited her across the river. Sachiko dismisses the story as invention, leaving the child’s account unresolved.

A Lost Kitten A Lost Kitten from "A Pale View of Hills". The Animal as Refuge Grief in the cottage Mariko says children from the apartments took and killed her favorite kitten, Suji-Chan, after she threw stones at…

A Lost Kitten from "A Pale View of Hills". The Animal as Refuge Grief in the cottage Mariko says children from the apartments took and killed her favorite kitten, Suji-Chan, after she threw stones at…

The Animal as Refuge Grief in the cottage Mariko says children from the apartments took and killed her favorite kitten, Suji-Chan, after she threw stones at them for insulting her mother. She remains apart from other children and turns to the surviving cats for comfort. A fragile attachment Etsuko tries to reassure her, but Mariko’s grief is not easily diverted. The kittens offer companionship in a setting where school, friendship, and family stability are all uncertain.

The Prize Box The Prize Box from "A Pale View of Hills". A Home for the Kittens A wished-for basket At a lottery stall, Mariko repeatedly tries to win a basket for the kittens.

The Prize Box from "A Pale View of Hills". A Home for the Kittens A wished-for basket At a lottery stall, Mariko repeatedly tries to win a basket for the kittens.

A Home for the Kittens A wished-for basket At a lottery stall, Mariko repeatedly tries to win a basket for the kittens. She wins a wooden box instead and imagines lining it with rugs so the family can transport the animals to Yasuko’s house. A promise made Sachiko eventually agrees that they can keep the kittens. Mariko takes the promise seriously, turning the box into a proposed home just as her mother’s plans for departure continue to change.

The Promise Withdrawn The Promise Withdrawn from "A Pale View of Hills". An Attachment Rejected A practical refusal As Sachiko packs, Mariko reminds her that she promised the kittens could come.

The Promise Withdrawn from "A Pale View of Hills". An Attachment Rejected A practical refusal As Sachiko packs, Mariko reminds her that she promised the kittens could come.

An Attachment Rejected A practical refusal As Sachiko packs, Mariko reminds her that she promised the kittens could come. Sachiko says the plans have changed and calls the animals filthy, telling Mariko she must grow up and stop being sentimental. Trust under pressure Mariko repeats the promise, but Sachiko treats the appeal as deliberate childishness. Their conflict makes the looming departure personal: the child is losing not only a home but also something she was told she could keep.

The Box in the River The Box in the River from "A Pale View of Hills". A Cruel Disposal An action defended as practical Sachiko puts the kittens into the wooden box and carries it to the river.

The Box in the River from "A Pale View of Hills". A Cruel Disposal An action defended as practical Sachiko puts the kittens into the wooden box and carries it to the river.

A Cruel Disposal An action defended as practical Sachiko puts the kittens into the wooden box and carries it to the river. She lowers one kitten into the water, then releases the box into the current while Mariko watches from the bank. A lasting image Sachiko calls the animals mere creatures and focuses on the dirt and scratches left by the task. The scene turns a domestic argument into a brutal image of abandonment, with no clear account of what Mariko will carry away from it.

during Etsuko’s first visit inside Sachiko’s cottage

during Etsuko’s evening alone with Mariko

during the outing to Inasa

the evening before the planned departure from Nagasaki

the final evening at Sachiko’s cottage