The Loom

Jo is a very prominent and important character; this is true as she is constantly referred to in every passage. This passage begins with one of the daughters, Jo, deciding to “give up” on her mother. Jo has a deep history with the mother, who brought her up, cured her from illnesses and taught her how to walk. Jo shows strong displeasure towards her mother’s hobby because she is insistent on finding a way to bring her out of her obsession, even suggesting “shock treatment…it’s the only way to bring her out.” This is insensitive because Jo disregards her mother on her yearly visits. “Once a year” when the house “fills up with Jo and her friends…,” she secludes her self as they “sit in the back room to talk.” There is a significant difference with the relationship Jo has with mother when compared to the other daughters. This is shown when Jo leaves, and the text indicates that “Jo’s mother stood next to Jo’s father.” This could mean that she is the eldest daughter, hence she can claim them. What is interesting is the mother tries to reach out to her daughters, mostly Jo, reminding them of the memories through the hidden colors, usually forgotten or unseen unless “you looked real close.” This mimics the emotions of the mother as well, since some of them are unable to see her emptiness, unless looked real close.

Weaving is symbolic of the amalgamation of the past and the present. The mother mergers her distant, vibrant memories of the past with the dark tones that represent sorrow, thus camouflaging the hints of color. The hidden colors in the textiles are chosen with the idea of  “all shades of her life.” usually forgotten or unseen unless “you looked real close”. This implies the memories which are usually forgotten unless you really thought about them.

The tone of the speaker is very nostalgic; the mother considers memories to bounce off her ideas for the textiles, and this is highlighted through the pace of the passage. In addition, the structure of the sentences also suggests the feelings of the speaker. The mother weaves the “diverse threads of life into one miraculous, mystical fabric with timeless care.” When the speaker addresses the mother’s hobby of weaving, and the memories that she tries to mimic, the story’s pace is slow and reflects the careful planning in the production of each of the textiles. The mother takes to the “loom with new excitement… with all shades of her life.” When speaking of shades, each shade, or color, used represents a precious memory or hers. When the mother was learning, she was “repetitious… [using] browns and neutral shades, the colors she preferred.” However, through “selectivity” of other vibrant colors, that would be hidden unless looked at carefully, therefore she was able to trick the reader. For example, “brown, the color of the five lunch bags she packed each morning with a sandwich, cut in half and wrapped in waxed paper, napkin, fruit and potato chips…” gives insight into the mother’s personality. She tends to go about her doings though meticulously planning on every minor detail. These are contrasted with the rare visits made by her daughters, which are short, and end in a flash.

Sasaki uses literary devices such as sentence structure, a nostalgic tone and colorful yet reminiscent diction to highlights the complexities of family through the years. Furthermore, the use of the loom and the mother’s hobby of weaving represent the past memories she had with her children and the present as she remembers them.