Fugu Symbol Analysis

The narrator of “A Family Supper” opens the story by explaining that fugu, the Japanese term for blowfish, has a “special significance” to him because it killed his mother. He describes the way in which the fish, which contains poison in its sexual glands, “became extremely popular in Japan after the war,” and how his mother did not normally eat it, but agreed to do so when a friend served it to her for dinner. She ultimately died a “hideously painful” death after ingesting the dish. The fact that the mother ingested such a dangerous dish (one that she did not even like) in order to respect her friend’s invitation serves as an important symbol for the obligations and risks associated with upholding cultural norms. Additionally, the fact that the poisonous element of the fish resided only in the parts of its anatomy needed for sexual reproduction indicates that there may be gendered element to the demands of culture. For example, though Kikuko and her brother are both expected to adhere to gender roles, Kikuko is expected to be even more submissive than her brother. The cultural norms that she is expected to comply with are often articulated or dispensed by her father, who remains a rather strict and patriarchal figure throughout the narrative.

Fish also serves as a reminder of that which remains unspoken about the death of the family’s mother, which the narrator’s father ultimately reveals may have been a suicide. This concept is reintroduced when the family eats an unnamed fish for their “family supper.” The father is reluctant to provide further details when asked what type of fish they are eating, claiming it is “just fish.” This response is in keeping with the sparse nature of the family’s conversations in the short story, and especially those that are related in some way to the death of the mother. The fish highlights the family’s reluctance to discuss the tragic details of the mother’s death by poisoning, as well as the awkwardness of navigating the emotional complexities of grief.