This message is recapitulated by Sachi on the night in which part of Yamaguchi goes ablaze when she states, “‘Beauty exists where you least expect to find it.’” (148) Subsequently, this profound meaning is imparted to Stephen, which is made evident when his feelings of fright associated with Sachi’s scars seem to wash away afterwards. Moreover, Stephen’s assimilation of this message is further shown when Matsu’s sister, Fumiko, comes to visit Tarumi, as Stephen looks beyond her externally aged and seemingly insipid character and recognizes that she too is a woman who has been uniquely shaped by her own past experiences. The third theme concerns the value of perseverance and how there is always hope amidst despair. Keiko introduces this impactful message through an anecdotal connection to Tarumi, as she states that people cannot develop stronger if they are not forced to contend with tribulation and adversity in their lives when she exclaims, “‘It’s [the storm] a reminder of the strength we all have within us. . . …show more content…
The village of Tarumi coupled with the captivating nature of Matsu’s garden serve to set the quiet atmosphere of the novel while contemporaneously fixating Stephen to concentrate on what is occurring before him in the present. The multifarious relationships in which he hones with several of the characters over the course of his stay in Tarumi concomitantly deepen Stephen’s own sense of character and his tolerance towards other people. The life lessons in which Stephen assimilates ultimately serve to most significantly influence Stephen’s decision to remain in Tarumi, which also serve as grand opportunities of enlightenment that strengthen Stephen’s appreciation of the value of life for his own intellectual and spiritual enrichment. Together, all three of these elements uniquely serve to deepen Stephen’s awareness of the true pulchritude and value of one’s life on this manically turbulent world