Seventeen Syllables

Living a bicultural life is an important theme in the story “Seventeen Syllables,” by Hisaye Yamamoto. One of the main characters, Rosie, is often in conflict with her mother, Tome Hayashi. Rosie is experiencing living under two different cultures, while Tome is only used to living in one. The conflict of culture between the mother and the daughter, therefore, is important in shaping both of their personalities and in helping one to understand why they …

…issue that carries along many factors. The factors of language, generation gap, and teenager versus mother help one to further understand Rosie and Tome’s characters. In “Seventeen Syllables,” cultural conflict becomes a big issue because it prevents two of its main characters from understanding each other. However, it helps explain why Rosie’s behavior towards her mother might be different from that of other daughters who live within the same culture as their mothers’.