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Tsuneko
Flatfish is an old acquaintance of Yozo’s father. When Yozo is arrested for being an “accomplice to a suicide,” the authorities require him to arrange for somebody to pick him up and watch over him. He calls Flatfish, who agrees to take him in. Flatfish thus steps in to fill the void left by Yozo’s father, who stops speaking to Yozo after his failed suicide. A kind and practical man, Flatfish lets Yozo live in his house, but he eventually tries to urge Yozo to do something with his life. He’s willing to pay for Yozo to return to college, but he’ll only do so if Yozo expresses a desire to get his life back on track. Yozo, however, is unable to articulate what he wants in life and, instead of accepting Flatfish’s help, ends up running away. Later, Flatfish teams up with Horiki and takes Yozo to a psychiatric ward.
Flatfish Quotes in No Longer Human
The No Longer Human quotes below are all either spoken by Flatfish or refer to Flatfish. 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:
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The Third Notebook: Part One Quotes
Why, I wonder, couldn’t he have mentioned the simple fact that the money would be forthcoming from home? That one fact would probably have settled my feelings, but I was left in a fog.
“How about it? Have you anything which might be described as aspirations for the future? I suppose one can’t expect people one helps to understand how difficult it is to help another person.”
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The Third Notebook: Part Two Quotes
Horiki sat in front of me and said, with a gentle smile, the like of which I had never before seen on his face, “I hear you’ve coughed blood.” I felt so grateful, so happy for that gentle smile that I averted my face and wept. I was completely shattered and smothered by that one gentle smile.
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This was a really rare event. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that it was the one and only time in my life that I refused something offered to me. My unhappiness was the unhappiness of a person who could not say no. I had been intimidated by the fear that if I declined something offered me, a yawning crevice would open between the other person’s heart and myself which could never be mended through all eternity.
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Flatfish Character Timeline in No Longer Human
The timeline below shows where the character Flatfish appears in No Longer Human. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Second Notebook
...out to a man from his hometown—a man he and his father used to call Flatfish. Flatfish agrees to meet him in the nearby city of Yokohama, where the district attorney...
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The Third Notebook: Part One
...expelled from college because of his involvement in Tsuneko’s suicide. He spends his days at Flatfish’s house, and though his family doesn’t contact him, it becomes clear to him that his...
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One night, Flatfish invites Yozo downstairs to have dinner with him and his son. It’s a nice meal,...
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Eventually, Yozo says that he’d like to work as a painter. Flatfish can’t believe his ears. He laughs and looks at Yozo scornfully, and his look tells...
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...he can focus on his conversation with her. At one point, a telegram arrives from Flatfish, causing Horiki to angrily ask what Yozo has dragged him into. He orders him to...
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Yozo becomes so depressed that Shizuko organizes a meeting with him, Flatfish, and Horiki. They all decide that Yozo should no longer be in touch with his...
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The Third Notebook: Part Two
Flatfish is there when Yozo regains consciousness. He’s talking to the bartender in charge of the...
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...pills, Yoshiko thinks he tried to kill himself because he blames himself for her rape. Flatfish, for his part, gives Yozo some money, acting as if it’s a gift from him...
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...never writes back. On the day that Yozo plans to kill himself, though, Horiki and Flatfish show up and take him to a psychiatric ward. Yoshiko comes with them, and just...
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After spending three months in the psychiatric ward, Yozo is released. His older brother and Flatfish come to pick him up, and his brother tells him that their father has died....
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