Confessions

Content Warning: Confessions depicts extreme bullying, child abuse, murder, mental health crises, a bombing, and murder-suicide. The text contains some stigmatizing language surrounding HIV/AIDS and the misgendering of a character; this guide reproduces such language only through quotations.

“Up until a few moments ago most of you thought of your free milk as a benefit. But now that I’ve told you it was an experiment, your feelings about the milk have suddenly changed. Am I right?”

By pointing out the change in how the students perceive the milk, Moriguchi illustrates how easily information can change one’s opinion on a given situation, thus establishing the theme The Pitfalls of Perception. This shift not only begins to taint the symbolic purity of milk but also foreshadows the revelations she is about to give. This statement also hints at how the dynamic of the class will (negatively) change after her retirement.

“I [Moriguchi] have to say that I’m less interested in catering to your adolescent whims and more concerned that you grow up someday to be people who are capable of considering the feelings of others.”

Moriguchi is a teacher who sets clear boundaries with her students and treats them like adults, thereby showing them respect. This statement is a rebuke to students who cause trouble for others while Failing to Consider Consequences that might stem from their actions. It also serves to make her a foil for Werther, whose oblivious and careless behavior as a teacher contrasts with her teaching.

“If you’re so sympathetic to people with AIDS, why did you move away when you found out that the teacher standing in front of you had sex with someone infected with HIV?”

Here, Moriguchi calls out the obvious stigma and prejudice that the students hold regarding HIV/AIDS. While having read a novel about someone living with HIV and expressing concern and sympathy at that time, the students are unable to access this sympathy when Moriguchi discloses Sakuranomi’s diagnosis and, thus, her exposure. This stems mainly from ignorance—as evidenced by their behavior later in the book.