In the novel The Samurai Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, the author tells the story of a Chinese teenager, Stephen, who moves to a small village called Tarumi to recover Tuberculosis. While there, he meets the housekeeper, Matsu, who takes care of Stephen while he is at the beach house. Matsu also introduces Stephen to a woman named Sachi, a leprosy patient, who was once beautiful, but is now isolated in the small mountain village of Yamaguchi. Sachi, once a teenager, living a normal life with a loving family, is now a stranger living isolated in a small village. Sachi shows that you can decide your own destiny and have the power to choose your own destiny by accepting your situation. Similarly, Stephen's reaction to isolation was initially painful and depressing, but he then chooses to adapt to the Japanese lifestyle and turn the experience into a positive one. Using the characters Stephen and Sachi, Tsukiyama uses characterization to show how the characters are affected by unexpected changes and how each individual can make the choice to overcome any challenge and achieve their own well-being if they accept their situation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Tsukiyama shows Sachi's change in attitude as she battles leprosy and describes how she accepts unwanted changes to create a better life for herself. During an argument between Sachi and Stephen, Tsukiyama shares how devastated Sachi felt at first. Sachi describes to Stephen her lonely nights when she first arrived in Yamaguchi away from her family, and how she “cried from a deep loneliness about [her] past life… and it was increasingly difficult during the night, when the The darkness took everything away. signs of hope. Sometimes [she] would hit [his] forehead with [her] fist until [his] face was hurt” (Tsukiyama 143). The author uses the word "deep loneliness" to show the depth of the connection she has with her family and her past life. Tsukiyama shows the amount of pain Sachi had felt as she "hit [her] forehead with [her] fist". The reader can see the pain and depression that Sachi feels. When this event takes place, Sachi is just a young woman who has recently been diagnosed with leprosy. Young Sachi is pessimistic and is traumatized by leaving her family and going to a new place with "scary" people, or others who have been affected by the disease. Another example of how Tsukiyama shows the change in Sachi's attitude and her ability to overcome difficulties is when Sachi visits Tarumi after many years, Stephen asks her if she misses any of her old friends and family. She replies “The bridge represented the samurai's difficult path from this world to the afterlife. When you reach the top of the bridge, [someone] can see [their] way to heaven. [She] feels like the last few days have given [her] a taste of that. Simply living a life without fear was pure heaven” (Tsukiyama 58). The author uses images of the bridge to show the journey that Sachi has gone through. The word “fear” in the quote shows the isolation and sadness he was facing. Tsukiyama connects the samurai to Sachi, as they both face many challenges throughout their lives and going up the steep bridge is much more difficult than going down. When at the peak of the bridge, Sachi realizes during her journey that there is more to life than pain and suffering. This quote shows how Sachi has found peace with herself and accepts her circumstances. He understands that he has the power..