Pillowcases Symbol Analysis

Yozo’s disappointment when he learns that pillowcases aren’t purely ornamental symbolizes his disgust at the mundanity of everyday life. When he’s a young boy, he thinks that pillowcases are simply decorative, but he soon learns that they serve an actual purpose: namely, to provide a washable surface for people to put their heads on without dirtying the pillow itself. As soon as he learns this, he feels depressed and overwhelmed by what he thinks of as “human dullness.” Everyday life is full of customs that feel unspeakably boring and pointless to him. This, of course, is an early manifestation of his long struggle with depression, which often makes it hard for people to invest themselves in the things happening around them. For Yozo, the surrounding world is nothing but a bleak, unexciting place, and his disappointment regarding pillowcases is a good indication of just how easily small, seemingly unimportant details can upset him. And yet, at the same time, his desire for pillowcases to be aesthetically pleasing also hints at a certain desire for beauty and pleasure, thus implying that, though he finds everyday life dull and depressing, he’s still interested enough in life itself to yearn for decoration and artfulness.