The sociological concepts running throughout the text of “The Tattoo” were addressed and summarized in the final chapter through a dramatic and deeply intense ending to this tragic tale. The fate of the characters, although almost expected, was in many ways rationalized by their interpretations of reality, driven by the worlds in which they were surrounded. But was this fate that the characters experienced, or was it self fulfilling prophecy based on their views of love, life, culture, and people?
In the final chapter, Ken and Claudia move their lives to Ken’s “home turf” on the windward side of the island. With the prospect of a new child on the way and no where else to turn, Ken and Claudia fell that going to live with Ken’s father and save money is their only way off of the island. Upon their arrival, Ken learns of the downhill road that his best friend Koa has taken, immediately allowing peer pressure to override his boundaries. The story delves into one of violence, racism and conflict around every corner. Ken, Claudia, Koa and Kahala all find themselves intertwined in lives they despise, full of trauma and hate.
In the final chapter of the book, race and gender roles are again a common theme. In addition to this, we come to see where the perceptions and ideologies of each of the characters ultimately led them. Throughout the chapter, there are instances where gender roles become apparent. Both Koa and Ken are dominant males in the household, who expect the women to care for the kids, and often times, keep their mouths shut. There is definitely dominance and masculinity present within their personas. In addition to this, race is addressed on a whole new level in the end. Two instances really speak as to the character’s ideas of race. The first shows discrimination at its peak. This is when Claudia and Ken’s father get into a heated “race war (pg. 196).” His father is attacking her for being Korean and “haole,” and she spats back at him about being Japanese. On both sides there were racial stereotypes and ethnophaulisms- derogatory terms about another race (Parrillo, pg. 91). In addition to this, they attacked each other’s respective native countries as a whole. It truly portrayed the way that history between people of various ethnicities embeds itself into our minds and is passed from generation to generation as a matter of conflict.
Another aspect of race that is visited in the novel is when Ken actually is speaking his thoughts on the different races. This was an afterthought that Ken was telling his cellmate Cal, as he reflected on all of the things that led up to his incarceration:
“I can say race, but it’s not that simple, especially in Hawai’i. It’s not just black and white, it’s Hawaiian, haole, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Samoan, Vietnamese. I could go on and on. Hell, look at you, you’re white, but you went through the same kind of shit……It’s funny, I think about race and sometimes feel that it would be a lot easier if we were actually that different from each other. I ain’t here because of race, I’m here because I’m human (pg. 216-217).”
I felt that this excerpt was quite insightful. It is a shame that Ken did not come to this realization until later in life. Ironically, he spends his time in prison, where racism is a prevalent (and almost necessary) aspect of everyday life.
Another sociological concept that I wanted to touch on was only briefly addresses, but definitely noteworthy. Ken and Claudia reconnected with an old friend through Kahala. They went to dinner with this girl. It turns out that after high school, she had become a lawyer. Apparently this “superior” position in society made Kan rather uneasy. As he wonders why he had no sexual feelings for her, he thinks, “But why didn’t she tempt me? Maybe because her position as a new upper-class attorney kind of made her the enemy (pg. 194).” Just as race and gender were prevailing divisions in his life, so were class divisions; a clear indication of his feelings of inferiority.
As far as relating to the story at this point, my experiences are limited. When I think of how the novel parallels my life, I can more relate to Claudia than the others in the end. I have been often considered one of the more “successful” people in my family, in that, I have never been jailed or on drugs, etc. I have pretty much watched my entire family destroy their lives, until now, where they almost all sit at rock bottom. I, on the other hand, am completing my degree and raising my two, beautiful children in a healthy and loving home. I can relate to Claudia, in that she is a mother, as well as seeing those you love destroy their lives, and themselves. She got away, to care for her child and separate herself from that scene, just as I have done.
All of the outside influences and ideas in Ken’s life were deeply internalized in him. His ideas of race, gender, and socio-equality, were engrained in him, through both the people he was surrounded with, and his own personal experiences and relationships with people. Given many of the hardships that Ken was faced with, along with the relationship he had with his father (and loss of mother), one can wonder what was left to chance or fate, and what was truly a “self fulfilling prophecy.” He recreated the world he had grown to know.
Works Cited
McKinney, Chris. The Tattoo. Honolulu: Mutual, 1999. Print.
Parrillo, Vincent N. Understanding Race and Ethnic Relations. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2008. Print
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