The Dash A. E By Ishiguro Summary

In Ishiguro’s “A family supper” and Villarosa’s “The Dash A.E” we can see a connection of alienation but in a diverse way. In “A family supper” a youth goes abroad for education and in “The Dash A.E” we see two superheroes entering an alternate universe where their loved ones are not involved. In that process, it is observed that they are completely alienated themselves from either their culture, heritage or, generally speaking, their loved ones. The reason for this alienation, in my opinion, is the distance. Reunion does not cover up the time they have wasted. That is because the distance is more brutal than the time.
Effects of distance on culture and heritage are more visible in “A family supper” than in “The Dash A.E” (due to the writer
For instance, he mentions ‘kimono’ and ‘importance of honor’. It is well-known fact that Japanese people give high importance to honor, tradition and family integrity. Their priorities are much more different than westerners. The protagonist of the story is a young boy who moves to California for his education. He is not a stereotype Japanese brother and family member. For instance, he does not care for the family integrity like other Japanese people do. He may have lost this quality in America. The distance between America and his motherland makes him indifferent to his traditions and his family. Father is also another important character in this story. Because of the father we see a cultural difference that distance creates sharply. Father is a stereotype Japanese family number. He is a conservative and honorable man and family integrity is the most important thing for him. For instance, he wants to have dinner when all family members are present. He prefers to die if he is going to live in a bad reputation. Case in point, he says ‘After the firms collapsed, Watanabe killed himself. He didn’t wish to live with the disgrace.’ Later he says ‘A man of principle and honor. I respected him very much’ for his partner's suicide.