49 pages • 1 hour read
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Momoko’s Scar
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses child loss.
Momoko’s scar, from the surgery to remove her uterus, is a physical manifestation of emotional scarring. The scar is a symbol that represents the pain characters like Momoko and Takako feel because of The Detrimental Impact of Heartbreak, whether it be romantic or familial heartbreak. Momoko’s heartbreak comes from her unsuccessful attempts to have children, and she personally sees the sickness that results in the loss of her uterus as connected to these attempts. When Takako sees the scar, she feels as though she is seeing something private: “When she first walked in, I’d noticed the fairly painful-looking scar from her operation running vertically about ten centimeters down her stomach. Although she hadn’t made any attempt to hide it, I still felt like I’d seen something I shouldn’t have” (129-30).
Momoko does not share her pain or story with Takako for much of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, meaning that the revelation of it is shocking to Takako, similar to how the scar is similarly shocking. The scar may be a physical sign of Momoko’s pain, but the scar itself represents the lasting nature of emotional pain. The scar is often hidden by clothing, but it is there nonetheless and will not go away. Similarly, Momoko holds her pain and, though she may grow from it, the pain will never completely disappear, like a scar.
The Mountain Path
When Momoko and Takako go on their hiking trip, they hike up a mountain to its peak. On their journey, Takako is surprised at not only how effortlessly Momoko hikes up the mountain, but also at her own struggles to do so. The path, with its challenges, is a symbol that represents the nature of Takako’s journey of growth through heartbreak. It is a difficult path that Takako cannot effortlessly breeze through, reflecting her own struggles to grow from her breakup. The unpredictable nature of the path also impacts Takako’s emotions, as she swings between joy and claustrophobia: “The path, which was flat and wide at first, gradually grew narrower and steeper […] one minute I was blithely singing, ‘And this is what the bear said!’ The next, I felt trapped in a bottomless pit, too uncoordinated to find my way out” (124).
Takako begins the hike believing that she is prepared and ready to enjoy herself. However, as the path grows more challenging, she feels lost and inexperienced in navigating it. This reflects her own journey in the novel, as she believes she is with the right man, Hideaki, only to be shocked by his betrayal. She then struggles to find her way through the depression and loneliness that follows. Her work to grow is rewarded with new friends and a love of reading, much as the challenges of the path reward the hikers with a stunning view at the peak. The path as a symbol is further reinforced by Momoko’s ease in hiking it: She is older and more experienced with heartbreak and has even hiked this path before, making her more familiar with the path’s difficult nature.
Pinching Cheeks
At various times in Part 2 of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop, Momoko pinches the cheeks of Satoru and Takako out of affection. Their reactions to Momoko’s attention demonstrate how they feel about their relationship with Momoko. At the end of the novel, Takako enjoys it, having built a strong relationship with Momoko. Satoru, however, reacts very differently when Momoko does it upon her return. After their years apart, he dislikes the attention but does not know how to address it: “Momoko pinched both of my uncle’s cheeks firmly, moving them up and down and side to side, as if this were some punishment in a children’s game. My uncle’s face looked so incredibly miserable […] you could hear in his voice that he had half resigned himself to it” (79). Satoru clearly dislikes Momoko pinching his cheeks, but he accepts that it is happening, unwilling to advocate for his feelings.
In this moment, the pinching of cheeks becomes a motif that reflects the theme of The Detrimental Impact of Heartbreak on Confidence. Satoru is heartbroken over Momoko’s disappearance, and when she returns, he is unsure of how to approach her. He lacks the confidence he once had in speaking with her, and accepts her attention, unwilling to ruin her return. Momoko, meanwhile, acts as if nothing has changed, which also reflects her unwillingness to reveal her reasons for leaving initially or coming back. She is not confident enough to be honest with Satoru, and therefore deflects with demonstrations of affection.
Unlock all 49 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 9,100+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: