Like the narrator’s mother, Watanabe is never physically present during the events of the short story. However, the narrator, his father, and his sister discuss the fact that he killed himself after the collapse of the father’s law firm several times, and, like the mother of the family, the violent nature of his passing seems to haunt the family. While talking with the narrator in the backyard, Kikuko reveals that Watanabe murdered himself by stabbing himself in the gut--recalling the way in which Japanese samurai committed acts of honor suicide—and subsequently murdered his wife and two children.
Watanabe Quotes in A Family Supper
The A Family Supper quotes below are all either spoken by Watanabe or refer to Watanabe. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
A Family Supper
Quotes
“Those two beautiful little girls. He turned on the gas while they were all asleep. Then he cut his stomach with a meat knife.”
“Yes, Father was just telling me how Watanabe was a man of principle.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Watanabe Quotes in A Family Supper
The A Family Supper quotes below are all either spoken by Watanabe or refer to Watanabe. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
A Family Supper
Quotes
“Those two beautiful little girls. He turned on the gas while they were all asleep. Then he cut his stomach with a meat knife.”
“Yes, Father was just telling me how Watanabe was a man of principle.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
