Amidst the ashes, a new hope…

Though the outlook at the end of Memory of Water may not have been very bright, it was not without the hope that came from Noria’s sacrifice and the possibility of the seven silver discs reaching more people. As I was reading this section I felt a certain feeling of inevitability, as though I knew that Noria’s activities were going to be discovered and  that she was going to have to make some sacrifice. Despite this foreboding sense I felt and knew was going to be realized, it was inspiring to see how resolute Noria remained despite the certainty of her demise. Even with the offer presented to her of having her previous life restored and her safety guaranteed, she would rather die to ensure the next generation learns of the knowledge she has garnered than live selfishly at the cost of others. As she says to Taro: “I believe that we must make hard choices every day despite knowing there is no reward(246).”

Noria’s end decision has such a revelatory quality to it. It shows that even though Noria was drained both mentally and physically, she stayed true to her role as a tea master and would not compromise it. I thought it was interesting that Taro, the consistent antagonist throughout the book, still bowed to her at the end, as though there was a part of him that gave merit to the significance and truth of Noria’s actions. Looking at the cover of the book now, I have a deeper view on what it is depicting. I think it shows Noria’s face at the end of her life. She is pale from her deprived existence but her eyes show she is looking at something in the horizon. Its as though she can see water in the future, a brighter future, which her mother and Sanja are going to spearhead. I thought it was a beautiful end to a carefully constructed and poignant book.