Kitchen: The Importance of Support

In Banana Yoshimoto's novel Kitchen, a woman named Mikage Sakurai and her friend Yuichi Tanabe both take care of each other after they both dealt with losses in their family. By supporting each other, they were able to live happily again, which shows the significance of having someone by your side.

In the beginning, Mikage is living alone and grieving over her grandmother's death. Yuichi then tells her to move in with him and his mother named Eriko, and Mikage decides to do it. Yuichi and Eriko treat Mikage with respect, and they welcome her as if she were a part of their family. They "chatted about things like the flower shop and [Mikage's] grandmother, and time passed quickly" (Yoshimoto, pg. 15). Mikage was grateful for everything they were doing for her, and she felt at peace knowing that she had others who were trustworthy. Without Yuichi and Eriko, Mikage would've had to dealt with her grandmother's death by herself, and it would've been more difficult for her. Mikage felt comfortable living with them, and she felt happier. This depicts that Yuichi and Eriko changed her life for the better. 

After Mikage moves out of Yuichi's apartment, Yuichi calls Mikage telling her that Eriko died. Instead of discussing her death over the phone, Mikage decides to sleep over Yuichi's apartment. Mikage comforts Yuichi by being there and making him smile. Eriko was the only person that Yuichi had in his life, and she was gone. Mikage can relate to Yuichi, so she knew what his pain was like. Mikage was the only person that could make Yuichi happy. Her support made him happy, and without her, Yuichi would've had trouble grieving over his mother's death.

Building relationships with other people is the best thing a person can do because all it takes is one person that can change another person's life. In this novel, Yuichi and Eriko supported Mikage when her grandmother died, and Mikage did the same for Yuichi when Eriko died. They both had nobody but each other, and this support is what led to both of them to grieve in a healthy way. Having someone there to support you during a bad time in your life can make you feel at peace again.