Speaking Through Seeds

Speaking Through Seeds

              “Imagine you are a seed…” (Ozeki 3). This request Yumi Fuller, a character from Ozeki’s novel All Over Creation, asked paralleled a motif that was splattered throughout the novel. Just as the readers were to imagine themselves as seeds, Yumi was represented by through seed imagery throughout the novel. This seed symbolism revealed various characters’ innermost beliefs and suppressed emotions. This usage of symbolism in the novel to communicate unspoken thoughts emphasized humans’ nature to subconsciously reflect their personal beliefs through secondhand means.

              Throughout the novel, seed symbolism reflected the innermost thoughts of the characters, beliefs in which the characters themselves would never state directly out loud. This could be seen through various characters, but prominently in relation to the Fuller family. With the seed symbolizing Yumi, the readers were exposed to a hidden story line, full of both desperation and hope. As Geek stated early in the novel, “seeds are like a language”(Ozeki 123), and only through this ‘secrete language’ could the readers fully explore the Fuller family’s experiences.

              As a result of developing in an environment revolving around seeds and growth, it was almost inevitable for Yumi to be represented as a seed. Through this symbolism, the readers could look at the entire novel through a difference lens. For instance, Momoko’s whispered catch-phrase “Gambatte ne, tane-chan” (Ozeki 5) took on a new light when analyzed with the idea that Yumi was symbolized through seeds. This quiet cheering represented Momoko’s quite desire for Yumi to grow and continue to develop independence. This idea was furthermore supported through several of Momoko’s actions, such as sending money to Yumi for college and keeping in touch with correspondence.

Conversely, seed symbolism revealed a darker side of the character of Yumi, especially in relation to her view of herself. It seemed that despite the freedom and independence that Yumi gained when she was away from her hometown in Idaho, the sudden stressed included in returning had stunted her growth. Yumi’s tendency to fall into old, bad habits inhibited her growth. This self-destructive stance that Yumi had taken was reflected in Yumi’s handling of “Momoko’s seed” (Ozeki 234).  Her taking the barely sprouting seeds “into the sun to harden” (Ozeki 234) reflected how her returning to Idaho had made any growth she gained obsolete.

In terms of Lloyd, the seed symbolism uncovered a hidden side to the emotions involved in the events of Yumi’s withdrawal. These momentous interactions with seeds were especially prevalent when Lloyd was in the hospital after his heart attack. During this time, Lloyd had several seed related delusions that contain underlying implications about his suppressed emotions towards Yumi. While the relationship between Lloyd and Yumi was shown to be strained throughout the novel, Lloyd’s interaction with the seeds revealed buried issued and emotions related to Yumi’s departure. In the end, Momoko and Lloyd’s seeds were an allusion to Yumi’s departure and Elliot’s interference.

The first instance of this was when Lloyd was frantic about having to save “his seeds” (Ozeki 351) from the Terminator, a figure Yumi revealed to be Lloyd’s hallucinated symbol for Elliot (Ozeki 329). This continued on until Lloyd seemed to lose all hope and began to dejectedly mumble about how he was “too late” (Ozeki 351). These outbursts and hallucinations revealed Lloyd’s devastation in the face of Yumi’s exit from his and Momoko’s lives. In addition, his use of the terms “save” and “too late” indicate how Lloyd felt responsibility for Yumi and how he felt distain towards himself for not being able to save his daughter from the dangerous Terminator. In this instance, Lloyd truly sees Elliot as the Terminator, the one element that caused his precious seed to change from how he nurtured her to be into something completely foreign.

The second moment was when the Seeds of Resistance decided to distribute Lloyd and Momoko’s seeds to other farmers. Lloyd’s indignant reaction at the thought of “his seeds” (Ozeki 357) being given away revealed how he believed that Yumi’s departure was more akin to people taking away what was his to protect and nurture. Even the explanation that “it’s so the Terminator won’t get to them…” (Ozeki 357) did not satisfy Lloyd. Only Momoko was able to calm Lloyd with what must have been a frequently used argument. Despite Lloyd’s complaints about how the seeds, how Yumi was theirs and that they need to keep her safe, Momoko quickly shuts down his argument. She blatantly told Lloyd that “keeping is not safe. Keeping is only danger” and the only ‘safe’ option is to let go and let Yumi be free (Ozeki 358).

The continuous use of symbolism and analogies in order to express unspoken emotions demonstrated many of the characters’ inability to speak these suppressed feelings. Momoko’s upraising and tendency to not speak out her own opinions forced her to express her acceptance of Yumi’s choices through symbolic messages and actions. Yumi’s inhibition of her own growth was something that she subconsciously knew but would never admit. Lloyd’s belief that he failed to save his daughter was one that he too would never admit out loud. The symbolic use of seeds to represent Yumi revealed a hidden story about a father’s failure, a mother’s silent acceptance, and a daughter’s self-destruction. It is with this that the readers were truly shown that the truth laid not within the dialogue characters spoke, but with the seeds of truth that they droped through subtleties and symbolic actions.