"Faithful Elephants" Reading Response

Have you ever wondered what different story settings symbolized?  In “Faithful Elephants” the symbolism of the settings is a big part of the story.  “Faithful Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya is a story set in present day Japan at Ueno Zoo.  A zoo employee is telling the author a story of how once, during a war, the Japanese army forced the Ueno Zoo to kill all of their dangerous animals so they wouldn't escape and kill people.  In the employee’s story, just the elephants are left to kill.  Their names were John, Tonky and Wanly.  In the story the zoo employees must starve these three elephants.  In the end, the elephants die of starvation and the zoo keepers weep with sadness.  In “Faithful Elephants” by Yukio Tsuchiya, setting and what it symbolizes plays an important part in the author’s story and in the zoo keeper’s story.

The quotes about cherry blossoms in “Faithful Elephants” symbolize the moods of the different time periods in “Faithful Elephants.”  According to the beginning of the story, “The cherry blossoms are in full bloom at Ueno Zoo.  Their petals are falling in the soft breeze and sparkling in the sun.”  Here, the cherry blossoms symbolize the hope and happiness of the present.  On the other hand, in the end of the story, “He was still patting the tombstone tenderly as the cherry blossoms fell on the grave, like snowflakes.”  Here, the cherry blossoms symbolize and reflect the desolation and despair of the story just told, because the blossoms are compared to snowflakes, which are cold, and the monument is referred to as a tombstone, which makes it grimmer. The difference in how the cherry blossom petals are falling show a difference in mood from the beginning of the story to the end.  In the beginning, the cherry blossom petals “are falling in the soft breeze and sparkling in the sun.”  This gives the feeling of warmth and happiness, which is a strong contrast from the end, where “the cherry blossoms fall on the grave, like snowflakes.”  This on the other hand, gives the feeling of coldness and loneliness.  All of this reveals through the setting, the moods of the past and the present.

            The contrast in the tone of setting descriptions symbolizes to the readers how people feel.  In the beginning, according to the story, “Two elephants are outside performing their tricks for a lively audience.”  Here, the elephants and their lively audience in the present symbolize the happiness and excitement of the environment and its people.  This suggests that most people have forgotten the deaths at Ueno Zoo.  In contrast, according to the story, “Not far from the cheerful square, there stands a tombstone.  Not many notice this monument for the animals that have died at Ueno Zoo.  It is quiet and peaceful here, and the sun warms every corner.”  Here, the deserted monument referred to as a tombstone symbolizes how the animals that died here are mostly at peace, and supports the fact that most people have forgotten about their deaths at the zoo.  This sets the tone for the rest of the story.  The contrast here is so great, partly because the change in mood is so rapid.  First, the elephants are “performing their trick for a lively audience.”  The word “lively” suggests that there are many people here, and that they are excited and happy.  This is very different from the next scene, where it is “quiet and peaceful,” suggesting that there are not many people, and the tone is decidedly sad because the story refers to the monument as tombstone.  Overall, this reflects the feelings of people and their environment.

            The quotes in the story about the private and public settings of the zoo director’s office and the elephants’ cage symbolize and convey their social status.  In the elephants’ case, according to the story, “Over two weeks later, Tonky and Wanly were dead.  Both died leaning against the bars of their cage with their trunks stretched high in the air still trying to do their banzi trick for the people who once fed them.”  Here, the elephants’ cage symbolizes the prison where they are killed.  Yet, as their “trucks stretched high in the air” it represents the elephants attaining their freedom in death.  The cage symbolizes how the elephants are low on the totem pole.  The director of the zoo, however, works in a very different environment.  According to the story, “The director of the zoo just sat very still, biting his lip and gazing at the top of his desk.”  Here, the zoo director is sitting in an office.  This symbolizes comfort and a high status.  Yet, he is nervous, and this shows that he feels guilty about his comfort while the elephants are dying in a cage.  There is a great difference in the environment of the zoo director compared to that of the elephants.  The zoo director’s desk shows his comfort and high status in his life.  The elephants, however, live and die in a cage, which is probably very uncomfortable and prison like.  Also, the cage makes the elephant’s death very public, while a desk and office is a very private setting.  All in all, the different environments of the zoo director and the elephants show their comfort and social levels.

            As you can see in “Faithful Elephants,” setting plays a very important role.  The symbolism and contrast in the different settings show that even cherry blossoms have a different meaning.  This shows that even the smallest things in life often have a deeper meaning.  Most of the symbolism's in the setting have to do with the happiness in of the present and the sadness of the past.  This shows us that while the past may not always be pleasant, there is always hope for the future.