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I want some help clarifying a passage from がばいばあちゃん, specifically in chapter 1, page 13.

The preceding text is about sad events which lead to his father's demise. Then it follows:

切ない話である。しかし！　俺は大人になった時、ちょっと待てよと思った。

After that, the narrator tells of how he asked news of his father's condition when the latter was hospitalised.

I assume the text in italics is addressing the reader. My reading is '[When I was writing about this sad story] I was thinking you should hang on for a bit until I've grown up [because there are happy events afterwards]'. I guess the ~時...まてよ is telling the reader to wait until the narrator has grown up (in the story).

Is this the correct reading? If someone could clarify or correct me, I would appreciate it.

Context:

広島にはまだ原爆の放射能がたっぷりと残っていて、とうちゃんは原爆症になってしまったのだ。
ほんの少し、家の様子を見に行っただけだったというのに……。
そんな訳で、俺が生まれた時には、とうちゃんはすでに病床の人だった。
とうちゃんも、そしてかあちゃんもまだ二十代の頃の話だ。
切ない話である。
しかし！
俺は大人になった時、ちょっと待てよと思った。
そして、かあちゃんに聞いた。
「かあちゃん、とうちゃんって俺が生まれた時はもう入院してた？」
「うん。してたよ。」
「じゃあ、俺がかあちゃんのお腹の中にできた時は、まだ元気いっぱいやった？」
「ううん。もう入院してた。」
「そんなら、一時帰宅とかしたことあったの？」
「ずっと入院したまんまよ。」
「あっ、そうか。病室が個室やったんか。」
「まさか。あの時代の病院は、どこも満員。個室なんか、なかったよ。」
おかしな話である。
しかし、これ以上追求すると、かあちゃんは赤い顔をして、もごもごと訳の分からないことを口走り、どこかへ消えてしまうのだ。
(Source: 「佐賀のがばいばあちゃん」第一章ｐ１３, ｐ１４)

Chocolate
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Robert
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  • does the story later talks about how he became an adult? Or it's presumed that he became an adult when his father died? – Igor Skochinsky May 12 '17 at 09:38
  • No. From beginning to end he is a child. That's why it's confusing. Occasionally, he will interrupt the narrative with something like, 'Nowadays... but back then'. In the あとがき, there is some (brief) reference to his adult life, but I don't think he would be referring to that, since he has wrapped up the story before that? – Robert May 12 '17 at 09:43
  • I suppose one answer might be a reading like: When I became an adult, [I wanted to tell my younger self,] just a wait a bit [because it gets better], I thought. That's the only reading I can think of that makes sense in context. He is using the past form 思った because he came to this realisation earlier in his adult life. – Robert May 12 '17 at 09:51
  • 「切ない話である」の直前のコンテクストいただけます？ – Chocolate May 12 '17 at 10:30
  • Ok. The atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. This is a turning point for his family. Beforehand, his mum and dad get married and live in Hiroshima. But when the war becomes more fierce, they evacuate to Saga, his mum's old hometown, so no one dies from the explosion. When his dad hears the news of the bomb, he goes back to Hiroshima to have a look and says something silly, 'Where is everyone?' The place is devastated. As a result of radiation exposure, he becomes sick and is hospitalised. He is bed-ridden when the narrator is born. Both mum and dad are in their 20's at this point. – Robert May 12 '17 at 10:41
  • Maybe something like "What the heck? [is this a kind of thing that can happen in normal life?]" – Igor Skochinsky May 12 '17 at 12:30
  • That's not a bad interpretation. I have heard ちょっとまてよ used like that. However, I'm not sure it fits. The しかし！ indicates a shift of some sort. So we would have: 'It's a heart-rending story. But! When I grew up, I thought, what the heck?' It still seems disjointed in the narrative. – Robert May 12 '17 at 12:56

3 Answers3

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In

俺は大人になった時、ちょっとまてよと思った,

the writer is reciting a moment when, after he had grown up, while he was reminiscing about or retracing the course of events leading up to his father's death, he stumbled on some detail thitherto unconsidered that might potentially change his perspective on the whole thing, and that made him go, "Hey, waaaaait a second."

Now with this understanding does the following literal translation make more sense?

It's a touching story... However! When I became an adult, I thought, "Wait a sec!"

goldbrick
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  • Yeah, it does! The only question is what exactly prompts him to change his perspective. My guess, after reading the end of the chapter, is after he is pushed onto the train heading to Saga, the plan is put in motion for him to live with his grandmother in that town. The result of this is that his life changes and he discovers many interesting things, thanks to 佐賀のがばいばあちゃん。 – Robert May 12 '17 at 11:00
  • Could you reproduce some of the text right after? I'd expect there'd be some explanation on what caused him to stop in his tracks there. – goldbrick May 12 '17 at 11:37
  • Right after, the text has no bearing on this comment. そして、母ちゃんに聞いた。　「かあちゃん、　とうちゃんって俺が生まれた時はもう入院してた？」... There is a Q&A between a naive narrator (as a little boy) and an exasperated mother, who eventually mumbles something and disappears somewhere. Then it says something about him being a memento of his father and that he has no memory of him, etc. The only part that fits with this standalone comment is the last page of the chapter when he says something about how, after a plan was hatched, being pushed onto the train going to Saga changed his life. – Robert May 12 '17 at 11:44
  • Hmm... from the information I've got it's unclear to me exactly what made him go "ちょっとまてよ." But I guess it's something (remotely) to do with whether his dad was in hospital when he was born? It doesn't necessarily have to be something that changes his views on the "悲しい話", but something that arouse some question in his mind regarding those events, which prompted him to ask her mom. – goldbrick May 12 '17 at 12:23
  • If that's the case, why would it say 大人になった時? He asked his mother questions when he was still very young. It doesn't chronologically fit. – Robert May 12 '17 at 12:58
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    島田洋七って1950年生まれですよね・・原爆落ちたのは1945年ですよね・・・「ん？ちょっと待てよ？もしかして計算が合わない？！（自分はホンマにとうちゃんの子供か？）」的な話だったりして・・・ – Chocolate May 12 '17 at 13:16
  • Wow. Good point. The dates don't match, which might lead the author to make an interruption. But I'm still confused. Unless the narrator is breaking down the third wall (perhaps he could), we are supposed to suspend belief as readers. – Robert May 12 '17 at 13:20
  • Actually, on second thoughts, I'm not convinced. Wikipedia says its a 自伝. And it's not strictly impossible for him to be born in 1950. His father is infected with radiation sickness, for which he is later hospitalised. He was conceived after the war, and is bedridden in 1950 when the author is born. Nice observation, though. – Robert May 12 '17 at 13:39
  • He asked his mom the question about whether his dad was being hospitalized **after** having grown up. **After** his "wait a sec" moment. – goldbrick May 12 '17 at 13:45
  • Ok, I'm willing to entertain that. The sentences before read そんな訳で、俺が生まれた時には、とうちゃんはすでに病床の人だった。とうちゃんも、そしてかあちゃんもまだ二十代の頃の話だった。 So, you're saying it could be 俺はとうちゃんが大人になった時、ちょっとまてよと思った。 But! I was thinking, when my dad grew up, wait a minute! So, I asked my mum... – Robert May 12 '17 at 13:54
  • No no no, it's the writer who grew up, went "wait a minute," and then proceeded to ask his mom whether his dad had been in hospital at the time of his birth. – goldbrick May 12 '17 at 14:02
  • Ah, my mistake. Yes, that might work. It is breaking the third wall, but the author is a famous comic, so that's not outside the range of possibility. In the very next sentence, he becomes a kid again. – Robert May 12 '17 at 14:05
  • I don't think there's any wall to break between the author-narrator and the reader. This is an essay; he is practically telling his life story to us. Or if your are referring to the command "ちょっとまてよ" he is saying it to himself or no one in particular, but not us. – goldbrick May 12 '17 at 14:36
  • I'm sticking with your answering after consulting my Japanese girlfriend. The time scheme is a little strange, but her answer was (to the effect that): When he had grown up, he considered the circumstance of his dad's being bed-ridden odd - in effect, prompting the, 'hey, wait a minute'. Because of this feeling - though the time has shifted to back when he was a kid - he asked his mum about his dad, perhaps suspecting he wasn't his real father and so on. When I reread it with this interpretation, it made sense. He evidently had the same doubt both as a kid and as an adult reflecting on this. – Robert May 13 '17 at 13:57
  • I'm glad your question was put to rest. Thanks for letting me know. :) – goldbrick May 13 '17 at 23:00
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Is this the correct reading?

No.

俺は大人になった時、 when I became an adult,

ちょっとまてよ "wait a sec" (This is an idiomatic phrase/exclamation when the speaker feels something is not correct.)

と思った。 I thought,

someone
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  • That's what I thought originally (or something like that), but I rejected it because it didn't seem to make sense in context. 'When I became an adult, wait a sec (something is not quite right), I thought.' That reading suggests he is talking to himself. Also, why would he say 'when I became an adult', since before and after this passage the narrator is a child? Unless it's a (comic?) interruption? Does the ちょっとまてよ mean something like 'oops I made a mistake'? I'm really confused. – Robert May 12 '17 at 09:35
  • 'But(!) when I have/had grown up I thought "Wait a sec."' I don't know the context but it seems that s/he is questioning it's really a 切ない話である, judging from the only text that's given here. – someone May 12 '17 at 09:52
  • Ok. But why does he say 'wait a sec'? Is it because (as I suggested above) his life does not remain so sad as he gets older, so he's telling himself to cheer up? There is no clarification in the text following because he goes on to relate another unhappy event in his life. – Robert May 12 '17 at 09:57
  • Hmm, I can sort of see "Hey wait, it's not the time for me to become an adult yet" fitting the context, but I don't think the sentence could be translated this way... – Igor Skochinsky May 12 '17 at 10:03
  • As I said this ちょっとまて is said in highly idiomatic and colloquial usage. Another semantic translation is "but when I grew up it gave me a totally different impression." I don't know the context so I'm no sure about what he is thinking twice. – someone May 12 '17 at 10:14
  • I didn't disagree with your breakdown of the sentence. My difficulty is putting it back together and explaining it in context. The confusing parts are 1) Why say, 'wait a sec'? and to whom?; 2) why 思った, not 思う？ What does the past form suggest exactly?; and 3) The texts jumps from child-->when I had grown up-->child - Why? The chapter before and after appears to have no bearing on this - so no clues. – Robert May 12 '17 at 10:27
  • So in the story, s/he is still a child? – someone May 12 '17 at 10:30
  • That's right. Both before and after the quoted text. – Robert May 12 '17 at 10:31
  • As I said I don't know the context, so I'm not sure. But this sentence sounds so colloquial that it seems to me from a light novel or something. I'm saying that it seems to me it's just a storytelling method: telling a current thing from a future point of view. – someone May 12 '17 at 10:38
  • The author does use colloquial touches in his storytelling. You're quite right. And there are interruptions of narrative where he brings the focus (briefly) back to the present. I'm having trouble finding a precise reading of this passage that tells me what the narrator is trying to get across. It's like a missing jigsaw piece that is gnawing at my curiosity. – Robert May 12 '17 at 10:45
  • So this is from https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BD%90%E8%B3%80%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8C%E3%81%B0%E3%81%84%E3%81%B0%E3%81%82%E3%81%A1%E3%82%83%E3%82%93 ? It seems like a semi-autobiography of 島田洋七. It seems like this sentence is what he thinks *now* and talking back to the past self. – someone May 12 '17 at 10:53
  • Yes, same book. Your answer is the interpretation I'm sticking with for the time being - i.e. him talking back to himself from when he has already become an adult. Then the narrative jerks back to when he was a kid. – Robert May 12 '17 at 13:00
  • Given the text you gave in the above which you say is directly after ちょっと待てよ, he might be questioning something which is related to the question「かあちゃん、　とうちゃんって俺が生まれた時はもう入院してた？」. For example, he is afraid that he is also affected by the radiation. Anyway, more and full context is needed to be sure. – someone May 12 '17 at 13:41
  • That's a possibility... except where does the 大人になった時 fit in? Also, if we go with this interpretation, what is the role of しかし！ – Robert May 12 '17 at 13:45
  • He never realized the possibilities/consequences as a child? For しかし！, 'I thought it's a heartbreaking story as a child, *but* when I got old it suddenly dawned on me and I said "wait a sec"'? – someone May 12 '17 at 13:52
  • I reread the pages in the chapter. It doesn't actually mention that he is born yet. So, the 切ない話である is simply stating it's a sad story, not specifically how it was for a child. But there does seem to be a shift with the しかし！ You could say, perhaps, when he grew older and reflected on the story something dawned on him, hence the 'wait a sec'. That might explain why these lines are put after 切ない話. The 'wait a sec' indicates there is more to the story. Just a guess. – Robert May 12 '17 at 14:03
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    Oh, I got the context from here http://tzone.org/~nori/jse301_302/saga_no_gabai_bachan_01_13_2011_pp_014_015.html. He said ちょっと待てよ because when his mother conceived him his father had already been hospitalized and on top of it he was not in a private room.... What happened? – someone May 12 '17 at 14:21
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切ない話である。しかし！　俺は大人になった時、ちょっとまてよと思った。

（１）「切ない話である。」は「親父｛おやじ｝が死｛し｝に、こうして家族｛かぞく｝がバラバラになるなんて切ない話である。」

（２）「しかし！」は２つの解釈｛かいしゃく｝ interpretation ができる。
（２-１）「しかし、ちょっとまてよと思った」
（２-２）(納得｛なっとく｝いかない状況｛じょうきょう｝を自分で納得せざるを得｛え｝ないときに吐｛は｝き出す嘆息｛たんそく｝のセリフで意味｛いみ｝としては「本当｛ほんとう｝に！」)「（認｛みと｝めたくはないが、しかし、今さらどうしようもない切ない話だな）本当に！」
「しかし！」の前後｛ぜんご｝に余白｛よはく｝があるかどうかでニュアンスは少し異なるが、同じ余白[量]｛りょう｝でも、私は、（２-２）の解釈が正しいと思う。更｛さら｝に、「しかし！」と後続｛こうぞく｝する「俺は...」との間の余白が一つ多いので「しかし！」は「切ない話である。」を修飾｛しゅうしょく｝しているか、関連｛かんれん｝していると解釈するのが正しい。

（３）「俺は大人になった時」は本当に筆者｛ひっしゃ｝ narrator が大人｛おとな｝になった時である。そして、その時、すなわち大人になった時、「ちょっとまてよと思った。」

（４）「ちょっとまてよと思った」は、「流｛なが｝れていく時間」に対して、「ちょっとまてよと思った」です。
すなわち、「今更｛いまさら｝流れを止めらない、また、この瞬間にも流れていく時間」に対して、「ちょっと待てよ、勝手｛かって｝に不幸｛ふこう｝を次々｛つぎつぎ｝と引｛ひ｝き起｛お｝こしていく時間よ、ちょっと待ってくれ、そして、こんな不幸｛ふこう｝な状況｛じょうきょう｝になぜなったのか、少し考える時間をくれ。更には、こんな不幸を次々と引き起こすことをやめてくれないかい」と思ったです。

Edited: I　changed my interpretation of 「ちょっと待てよと思った」 after I got the text before and after the phrase.

Though my former interpretation was meaningful and excellent (?), now I would admit and support the interpretation written in the comment by Chocolate to goldbrick's question.

mackygoo
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