Eiko, like many other first generation Americans, is caught in between two different worlds and discovers that no matter how she behaves she will never be accepted. In a monologue, she discusses the struggle of being caught in between these two worlds: “’You’re such a nice otonashii Daddy’s girl’—quiet, well-behaved, subservient. ‘But here in America, remember, you must speak up or you’re ignored.’ But when I open my mouth and say what I think— ‘Oh no, I’m a castrating American bitch.’ The worst of the East mixed with the worst of the West…” (Gotanda, 124). Here Eiko describes how she feels like she does not belong; that she is neither truly Japanese nor truly American. She was told that her characteristics from the East of being quiet, well-behaved…show more content… She tells Raymond:
Don’t ever take me to Japan again…I hate that they can’t speak English, I hate it even more that they can’t understand English. I hate the way women all cater to the men. And I hate how they all stare at me like I’m some kind of freak because I look like I’m Japanese but I act American and there’s a very good reason for it because I am American, goddamnit! (Gotanada, 96)
During her time in Japan, Eiko was ogled at because her appearance seemed to contradict her actions: she looks Japanese but acts as an American. Eiko’s experience in Japan is no different than her experience in the United States. Since she appears Japanese, she is expected to embrace all aspects of Japanese culture, like culinary preference and gender roles, without question. Gotanda includes this monologue in the play to put into words what many first generation Americans experience. Their appearance signals to outsiders how they should behave, but their behavior never matches the outsider’s expectations, which results in these confusing stares. In this monologue Eiko makes it clear to the audience and Raymond: she views herself not as Japanese but as an…show more content… This transition is evident from an exchange between Raymond and Eiko, where the content of their conversation is similar to the discussion they had regarding tea and coffee at the beginning of the play, but the responses from Eiko are completely different. Eiko plays some music while Raymond and a colleague are working to piece back together a paper. This action results in the following exchange between the two: “’You can’t play the music so loud when we’re trying to work.’ ‘Yes, dear.’ ‘You were heating up water weren’t you—Make us some tea’ ‘How about coffee?’ ‘Tea, Eiko’” (Gotanda, 154). In this exchange, Eiko does not challenge Raymond at all. She does not question that the volume of the music to too loud, whereas in the beginning she might have made some snide comment about his inability to focus. She simply replies “Yes, dear” (Gotanda, 154), a phrase that she has not used until now. In addition, when Raymond orders Eiko to make everyone tea, rather than asking politely, she does so without a fight. She suggests that she make coffee, but after Raymond remains firm on her making tea, she does not resist, she does not insult the type of tea, she instead complies. In the first exchange between Raymond and Eiko, it is hard to imagine Eiko ever making tea willingly and especially without a fight. When Eiko agrees to make tea, she is accepting that no matter how hard
