부산대학교 도서관

Critical analyses of Hisaye Yamamoto's short story, 'Seventeen Symbols,' have viewed Mrs. Hayashi as a victim and placed the blame on her husband, who reacts violently to his wife's literary passion for writing haiku, an art enjoyed by the Japanese leisure class. However, Mr. Hayashi's action of destroying his wife's prize, a Hiroshiges print, is appropriate to his status as a simple, traditional man who is trying to control an untraditional wife. Mrs. Hayashi is challenging established social mores through her behavior.