The Teahouse of the August Moon (Characters)

Characters

Captain Fisby

Captain Fisby is the young officer assigned to implement “Plan B” in the Americanization process of the tiny Okinawan village of Tobiki. Fisby is described as,“in his late twenties, nice-looking and rather on the earnest side,” and is “nervous and eager to make a good impression” on his senior officer. From his office in Tobiki, Fisby is assigned to establish a local democratic government, institute a capitalist economy, and build a schoolhouse. He is at first frustrated in all of these efforts. Instead, he soon agrees to the building of a local teahouse and successfully markets the locally made sweet potato brandy to the nearby military bases. In the process, he quickly becomes accommodated to the local culture, wearing his bathrobe as a makeshift kimono and munching on the local snack foods. His senior officer, Purdy, arrives at the newly built teahouse just as Fisby, in his bathrobe, is leading the locals in a celebratory song. Purdy reprimands him for misusing army materials to build the teahouse and for marketing alcohol. However, Purdy then learns that the village is to be presented as an example of successful democratization by Occupation Forces.

Lotus Blossom

Lotus Blossom, a young geisha, is given to Fisby by her father, Mr. Sumata. She is described as “a petite and lovely geisha girl in traditional costume.” Fisby at first mistakes her for a prostitute and disapproves of her, until Sakini explains that a geisha serves a traditional role in Japanese culture much different from that of a prostitute in Western culture. Her presence in the village inspires the other women to want to become geishas, and the men to want a teahouse in which she can serve them. Before Fisby leaves, at the end of the play, Lotus Blossom asks his approval to marry a local man. Although the geisha is a real figure in Japanese culture and history, the character of Lotus Blossom represents one of the most common, and most offensive, stereotypes of Asian women found in Western culture.

Captain Mclean

Captain McLean is the army psychiatrist sent by Colonel Purdy to secretly evaluate Fisby. He is described as “an intense, rather wild-eyed man in his middle forties.” Once in Tobiki, however, McLean, who harbors a passion for horticulture, is quickly inspired to head the planting of crops in the village. By the time the teahouse is built, McLean, like Fisby, has accommodated himself to the local dress and customs. When Purdy arrives unexpectedly at the teahouse, McLean and Fisby lead the local villagers in singing “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” McLean is reprimanded by Purdy and sent away.

Colonel Wainwright Purdy

Colonel Wainwright Purdy is in charge of the military base in which act 1 is set. He is described as “a man of proportions,” on whose shoulders “the worries of the world in general and the Army of Occupation in particular weigh heavily.” Purdy assigns Fisby to carry out “Plan B” in the remote village of Tobiki. He also assigns Sakini to accompany Fisby as his interpreter. Purdy occasionally calls Fisby’ s office in Tobiki to get a progress report and quickly becomes suspicious of Fisby’s inexplicable answers to his questions. He sends an army psychiatrist, Captain McLean, to secretly evaluate Fisby. When he suspects the marketing of brandy from Tobiki to local military bases, Purdy goes there to find out what Fisby is up to. He walks into the newly built teahouse just as Fisby and MacLean, dressed in their bathrobes, are leading the local villagers in a celebratory song. Purdy reprimands both of the officers and orders that the teahouse be torn down and the brandy distilleries destroyed. He is secretly foiled, however, by the villagers, who cleverly hide both the teahouse and the distilleries, only pretending to have destroyed them. This proves beneficial to Purdy when he learns that the village is to be presented as an example of successful democratization by Occupation Forces.

Sakini

Sakini is the Okinawan interpreter for the American military. Sakini serves as a sort of narrator of the play, periodically addressing the audience directly, explaining the historical and cultural circumstances of the setting. In the stage directions, his costume and looks are described in great detail: “He wears a pair of tattered shorts and a native shirt. His shoes, the gift of a G.I., are several sizes too large. His socks are also too large and hang in wrinkles over his ankles. He is an Okinawan who might be any age between thirty and sixty. In repose his face betrays age, but the illusion is shattered quickly by his smile of childlike candor.” The character of Sakini represents a common stereotype of Asians, in fact of all non-Western peoples, in Western culture: he is described as “childlike,” although he is anywhere from thirty to sixty years old. His character is represented as clever but simpleminded, another common stereotype.

Media Adaptations

• The Teahouse of the August Moon was adapted to the screen by John Patrick in a 1956 film, directed by Daniel Mann and starring Marlon Brando.
• The Teahouse of the August Moon was adapted to television by John Patrick in a 1962 Broadcast of “Hallmark Hall of Fame,” by NBC.