Ash Garden

Top Five Scenes

1- The most interesting scene to me was when the bomb hit Hiroshima. Emiko and her younger brother were playing with their grandfather, drawing faces on each others backs in the water, and it was depicted with beautiful imagery of this tranquil place. The contrast between the calm state of their playing, and the extreme horror of the bombing is incredible. I really liked how the bombing isn't necessarily described, yet more so implied with the last line. It creates a sense of panic and urgency, and it created beautifully into a sentence. "It glistened at his knees in the brilliant morning sun, and suddenly it began to glow and the stone rose up from its mud pocket, which in an instant turned hard-baked and grey, and then I could not breathe and my mouth became a desert and the air jumped alive with objects that never had flown before." The rushed ending with no punctuation creates a sensation of terror arising, ending the scene with suspicion and fear all in one. It's very intense!

2- My second favorite scene is the memory of how Anton and Sophie meet. I really enjoyed the warm sensation Bock creates with his writing in the scene, bringing it to life in so many ways. The scene was very interesting to me because of the opposing lives they lead previous to their encounter. When they meet in the moon light, and enter the water, the scene surfaces a sensation of discovery and curiosity on both ends of the strange lives of each other. I loved the sense of innocence it brings because of the two characters meeting with such awkward first steps, and I found it to be very cute. I love the little blossoming romance going on!

3- Another scene I really enjoyed is when Anton is watching the children sledding in his hometown. I love how Anton analyzes the true meaning of "waiting" while he watches the kids fly by on their toboggans. The passage is very thoughtful, and it was refreshing to read a thought process of this kind without blame. Anton seems to really understand Sophie's justification for her feelings, and he makes an excellent point about their relationship. This scene is very light for the matter of which it is regarding, making it very surprising. The motif of sugar is brought up with the young girl who injures herself, pouring the "pyramid of sugar" on her tongue to soothe the pain. The following flashback to his time in Hiroshima deepens the scene to another level, giving this scene many dimensions.

4-The scene in which Anton and Emiko speak about the bomb is very interesting. This scene sort of, sucked me in, if you will. The feelings on both ends are so intense, while they sit in Anton's lovely home and discuss old, unreleased films of the past. It is more so reminiscent than angry or accusative, making it very easy to follow and intriguing to read. Each point made is valid, allowing the reader to stay neutral instead of choosing sides. The questions and responses are equally difficult to answer, and the author is able to force the reader inside the scene, as if we were sitting in the chair next to them, sipping on some juice and listening closely to the conversation.

5- My last chosen scene was difficult. I'm backtracking to the beginning again, but this time, I chose it because its level of intensity. This was the saddest scene in the novel. The specific moment when Mitsuo dies literally broke my heart. I did not expect him to pass on, therefore the shock factor was strong, and I pined with Emiko while reading. The previous night, she read him stories to make the night seem more gentle, and my heart aches with the fact that he could no longer try and hold her hand. The most impacting moment was when I realized that she was now alone in this process, trying to fight for her life in silence, alone, while doctors poked and prodded at her as if she were a science experiment. This scene deeply saddened me.