The Music Lessons Essay, Research Paper
In the play The Music Lessons by Wakako Yamauchi two of the main
characters are in engaged in a dialogue which is common for a mother and a daughter to
have. In act two, scene four, Chizuko and Aki seem to express frustration to each other
after Aki coming home late after a music lesson with Kaoru.
Chizuko knows something is very wrong for her young daughter spending so
much time with a grown man, causes her to be so upset with Aki: CHIZUKO: I mean
other people! How do you think it looks: you all the time in a man s room? (2,4). For a
mother, trying to get through to her daughter is a very frustrating task. It s hard for
Chizuko to show Aki that all her frustration is in the best interest for her: CHIZUKO: I
have lots to worry about. I got to see you have enough to eat, give you an education, see
you re dressed decent-so people won t say, Those kids don t have a father. See you re
not left with debts, like what happened to me. See you don t make a mess (of) … (2,4).
Chizuko is trying to protect her young daughter, she is afraid that Aki is going to get hurt
if she pours all her emotions towards this grown man, by Aki not understanding this
Chizuko becomes angry: CHIZUKO: I know you don t care … right now. I m just
saying you shouldn t let your emotions run away with you (2,4). Chizuko feels that Aki
should be spending time with kids her age: CHIZUKO: If you want a friend to talk to,
find someone your age who can understand you (2,4). For a mother it is important to
Chizuko that she watches out for her daughter. No matter how hard Chizuko tries to
convince Aki that Karou is too old, it results Aki being frustrated back.
Aki is mad at her mother for not understanding her need to be with Karou. Aki
feels that her privacy with him is important and when her mother does not understand
this makes Aki upset: AKI: Ma, you know why. Ichiro and Tomu sitting around all the
time and making all those cracks … and you sitting there listening and making those faces
… like telling me what I should say and when I should say it-when I should shut up and
… (2,4). Aki does not understand why her mother is even concerned about what she is
doing with Karou. Aki is just talking with him and her mother could not possibly
understand her need to be with him. Aki feels that Chizuko is trying to control her life,
and by doing this Aki is frustrated to the point of yelling at her mother: AKI: Well, it s
true. You re always telling me what to do and how to do it. You re always trying to tell
everyone what to do around here (2,4). Aki does not understand why her mother is so
concerned about Karou also. Karou is a grown man and Aki feels that if he does not want
her to visit so long he would tell her himself: AKI: Well, if he wanted me to leave, he d
tell me (2,4). Akis frustration is all based that her mother does not understand the life
she wants to live, she feels trapped. Akis relationship with Chizuko is based on Aki not
wanting to be like her mother: AKI: I m not going to live like you. I m not going to live
all tied up in knots like you: afraid of what people say, afraid of spending money, afraid
of laughing, afraid (of) … (2,4). Aki wants her mother to see what she wants and not
what her mother wants. Aki wants to love Kaoru and her mother does not understand why
it is important to her. This love towards Kaoru that Aki wants causes more friction
between the two to even more frustration of jealousy from the mother.
In the dialogue in act two, scene four, a discovery of jealousy is shown between
the two of them in this dialogue:
CHIZUKO: someone more your age…
AKI: (it dawns on her) You re jealous!
CHIZUKO: Jealous?
AKI: Yes, because he …
CHIZUKO: What re you talking about?
AKI: Yes, because he pays attention (to me)…
CHIZUKO: That s ridiculous! He likes all of us. He told me! (2,4).
The true colors are shown after this discovery by Aki. The mother Chizko becomes more
frustrated because she is not getting through to her daughter. The jealousy that Aki
discovers is more of an irritation on Chizukos part because the statement is true that she
is jealous of Akis relationship with Kaoru. The relationship of the mother and daughter
now becomes a rivalry and Aki is upset more by discovering this fact. At this point Aki
now realizes that her mother does not want to help her but is trying to prevent her from
loving Kaoru. Therefore this discovery of jealousy is just added onto the flame of
frustration on both Aki and Chizuko.
The author Yamauchis characters displays a common frustration between a
mother and daughter. Chizuko loves Aki and is trying to protect her daughter from being
hurt. Aki loves her mother but is blinded by the love she is feeling towards Kaoru. Love
became the source of this frustration between the two and in the end result nothing is
solved. In conclusion, the mother and daughter end up going to bed mad, and in any
argument when frustration is involved nothing gets solved until the two parties take the
time to listen to each other.