A Family Supper

“Fugu is a fish caught off the Pacific shores of Japan. The fish has held a special significance for me ever since my mother died through eating one. The poison resides in the sexual glands of the fish, inside two fragile bags. When preparing the fish, these bags must be removed with caution, for any clumsiness will result in the poison leaking into the veins. Regrettably, it is not easy to tell whether or not this operation has been carried out successfully. The proof is, as it were, in the eating.”

The opening section of “A Family Supper” sets the ominous tone for the rest of the short story. Though it may appear innocuous, the fugu fish can be deadly if not handled with caution. The significance of its poison being held in the fish’s sex glands touches on the story’s pervading themes of traditional gender roles, misogyny, and violence against women.

“My relationship with my parents had become somewhat strained around that period, and consequently I did not learn of the circumstances surrounding her death until I returned to Tokyo two years later. Apparently, my mother had always refused to eat fugu, but on this particular occasion she had made an exception, having been invited by an old schoolfriend whom she was anxious not to offend.”

The narrator explains his father’s decision not to tell him about the circumstances of his mother’s death. This speaks to the cycle of silence within the narrator’s family. The above quote also illuminates a trend wherein the narrator learns more about his mother through retellings and information provided to him by other members of his family. He does not seem to know or remember much of her at all. 

“‘I’ve come to believe now that there were no evil intentions in your mind,’ my father continued. ‘You were swayed by certain influences. Like so many others.’

‘Perhaps we should forget it, as you suggest.’

‘As you will. More tea?’”

The narrator’s father suggests that his son was swayed by foreigners and foreign ideologies to move abroad. Ishiguro does not provide concrete details as to what Father might mean, but this moment connects with the statement about the absurdity of foreign business practices. Both the narrator and his father talk around the sore subject of his absence.