Sections 9 through 16 Summary and Analysis

Storytellers

Akira's childhood is full of memories of movie-watching with his family. He vividly recalls the masculinity of William S. Hart westerns. He remembers a movie about the lead sled dog dying after valiantly leading his team through the snow. He could not stop crying for the dog—even as an adult the movie stirs strong emotion. In addition to the movies, Akira loves when his father takes him to the villages to hear the master storytellers weave their intriguing tales.

The Goblin's Nose

Just when Akira is confident of his fierce kendo skills, he joins a new school where he is taken down a few notches—his "long, smug goblin's nose" is forever cut down to size. He fails an entrance exam to the next level due to his poor achievement in math and science. He...