In my mind, there are both positive and negative
qualities that both Kiyo and Tosh posses. Tosh is courageous while Kiyo is
meek. Tosh is outspoken and opinionated where Kiyo is quiet. Tosh is rude to
his parents while Kiyo is the picture of filial. The two brothers serve as
completely opposing personalities that still coexist in the same environment,
and ultimately want the same things. The more admirable character in a
traditional sense would be Tosh, because he goes for what he wants and stands
up for what he believes in. However, in the end I must say that I believe Kiyo
is the more admirable character due to his reliability and his willingness to
help his family despite the fact that it inconveniences him. He could have
simply run off and used the $6,000 to start a new life for himself after the
military, yet he chooses to send the money home to help his family. Whether
Kiyo returns to his family after the conclusion of the novel is unclear, but either
way he knows that they are out of debt and hopefully happy.
- Caitlin Rickard
Caitlin -
ReplyDeleteYou have to establish which tradition you are referring to: if it is the Japanese tradition, then Kiyo is by far the more admirable character; but if you are referring to an American tradition, in which the family is slowly assimilating into, then Tosh would be the more admirable of the brothers - although, again, there is a seeming role reversal at the conclusion of the story (see your previous post and my response to it).
- Trey