Mr. Hayashi's outburst

"Smashing the picture, glass and all (she heard the explosion faintly), he reached over for the kerosene that was used to encourage the bath fire and poured it over the wrekage."

Towards the end of "Seventeen Syllables," Mr. Hayashi releases his frustration and anger towards his wife on a picture. Calling out for his wife to help him and getting no response made him angry, and possibly jealous. Since Mrs. Hayashi had been entertaining Mr. Kuroda and ignoring Mr. Hayashi, Mr. Hayashi built up a rage of inadequacy and exasperation. Mr. Hayashi obviously could not compete with Mr Kuroda, nor could satisfy Mrs. Hayashi's need for intellectual stimulation. His masculinity as a Japanese man had been obstructed through Mrs. Hayashi's pursuit of haiku and haiku discussion--which deprived him of the power that men in Japanese culture long have owned. His outburst on the picture, smashing and burning it, show us how inadequate he feels to fufill Mrs. Hayashi by releasing a powerful amount of anger. What joy he shares with his wife is not comparable to the joy other people bring Mrs. Hayashi. Her dedication and interest to haiku will never be understood by Mr Hayshi, and we see the consequences of this through his outburst and destruction of the picture.

Juan Contreras