Although coming-of-age and social class struggle are significant adversities faced by Shinji and Hatsue, there is yet a greater conflict in Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves. In writing about the value of cultural purity, and, thus, emphasizing traditional Japanese customs, Mishima constructs a secondary conflict within his narrative regarding the opposition between tradition and modernity, which despite its peripheral role in Mishima’s novel, illuminates important aspects of his writing, especially concerning his stylistic choices. Diction and figurative language, through their respective connotations, help to elevate tradition to a romantic ideal, while, at the same time, characterize modernization as a force of evil, capable of moral corruption
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Reflecting this dichotomy are the novel’s main characters, who embody modern and traditional cultural values, and mirror the antagonism between these forces in post-war Japan.
Representing the idealized traditional cultural practices, Shinji and Hatsue, the author’s heroes, are through diction that figuratively connotes their distinguishment from the poisonous characters that embrace modernity. Hatsue, for example, is introduced through writing that equates her to “other island girls”, yet “with something refreshing about the cast of her eyes” (Yukio Mishima 10). This description establishes her role as a representation of tradition by appealing to the cultural isolationism of the island, which parallels Hatsue’s own position in the novel: Uta-jima’s isolation renders it untouchable by the corrupt forces of modernization, much like Hatsue cannot be corrupted by modern culture because she embodies the ideal traditional female role model. This characteristic, established through the symbolic meaning of the island, is yet further reinforced by the employment of the word …show more content…
The former is introduced to the reader with descriptions, which, rife with negatively charged expressions, successfully convey the moral corruption of his character. Though he is the same age as Shinji, there is a discernible difference in his attitude towards others, exemplified by physical and psychological descriptions that reveal a narcissistic and self-absorbed personality. His “crafty” eyebrows, for example, contribute to the constitution of the shrouding dishonesty of his character through the powerful connotation of the adjective utilized, which indicates a suspicious character (24). In addition, unlike the protagonists, Yasuo lacks naiveté and respect for cultural values. He speaks with no “trace of the local dialect”, and knows “the secret of giving himself importance” - behaviors which disclose important information concerning his attitude towards tradition (24). The refusal to use the local dialect demonstrates his arrogance and disdain for Uta-jima’s “strait-laced” culture, rooted on spiritual and religious purity, while the hubris with which he seeks to exert power and submit others to his control reflects his unprincipled moral standards, distancing him from being an aspirational role model. Most importantly to the portrayal of tension between tradition and
Reflecting this dichotomy are the novel’s main characters, who embody modern and traditional cultural values, and mirror the antagonism between these forces in post-war Japan.
Representing the idealized traditional cultural practices, Shinji and Hatsue, the author’s heroes, are through diction that figuratively connotes their distinguishment from the poisonous characters that embrace modernity. Hatsue, for example, is introduced through writing that equates her to “other island girls”, yet “with something refreshing about the cast of her eyes” (Yukio Mishima 10). This description establishes her role as a representation of tradition by appealing to the cultural isolationism of the island, which parallels Hatsue’s own position in the novel: Uta-jima’s isolation renders it untouchable by the corrupt forces of modernization, much like Hatsue cannot be corrupted by modern culture because she embodies the ideal traditional female role model. This characteristic, established through the symbolic meaning of the island, is yet further reinforced by the employment of the word …show more content…
The former is introduced to the reader with descriptions, which, rife with negatively charged expressions, successfully convey the moral corruption of his character. Though he is the same age as Shinji, there is a discernible difference in his attitude towards others, exemplified by physical and psychological descriptions that reveal a narcissistic and self-absorbed personality. His “crafty” eyebrows, for example, contribute to the constitution of the shrouding dishonesty of his character through the powerful connotation of the adjective utilized, which indicates a suspicious character (24). In addition, unlike the protagonists, Yasuo lacks naiveté and respect for cultural values. He speaks with no “trace of the local dialect”, and knows “the secret of giving himself importance” - behaviors which disclose important information concerning his attitude towards tradition (24). The refusal to use the local dialect demonstrates his arrogance and disdain for Uta-jima’s “strait-laced” culture, rooted on spiritual and religious purity, while the hubris with which he seeks to exert power and submit others to his control reflects his unprincipled moral standards, distancing him from being an aspirational role model. Most importantly to the portrayal of tension between tradition and