The presentation of the conflict between the traditional and modern views in The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea
These two passages, page 60-61 and page 162-163 from The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea (The Sailor), respectively, demonstrate the recurring conflict throughout the novel between the traditional views and modernity. The first passage (lines 1-23) is at the end of chapter five of the first section, Summer, in which Noboru performs some kind of ceremonial surgery on a stray kitten to prove his strength of manhood in the audience of the group of nihilistic boys. In the second passage (lines 24-40) from chapter six of the second section, Winter, the leader of the band of boys convicts Ryuji for betraying Noboru and disturbing the “internal order of life” (Mishima 162) and sentences the sailor to death. Mishima uses these central scenes to emphasize his criticism of westernization of post-World War II Japan by incorporating recurring symbolism, imagery, and repetition.
This novel was written after the World War II, at a time when Japan was conforming to omnipresent westernization. Mishima, who was committed to bushido (code of the samurai), resented the modernization; this can be seen in The Sailor as he deplores his nation’s weakness to conformity. Primarily, Mishima presents the conflict between the traditional and western views with the use of characters: Noboru, the protagonist, symbolizes the former whereas Fusako, his mother, represents the latter. The nihilistic group of boys, in which Noboru is involved, practices “absolute dispassion” (Mishima 54) and trains to be cold and callous; this is an aspect of bushido, which suggests that Noboru is a representation of the patriarchal Japan. There is much evidence for Fusako’s representing modernity; she takes on the family business that her husband leaves behind in death, taking the role of a man. Furthermore, the business is a western clothing store that deals with European merchandise and customers. The internal conflict of Ryuji Tsukazaki is major because it is parallel to the conflict within
This novel was written after the World War II, at a time when Japan was conforming to omnipresent westernization. Mishima, who was committed to bushido (code of the samurai), resented the modernization; this can be seen in The Sailor as he deplores his nation’s weakness to conformity. Primarily, Mishima presents the conflict between the traditional and western views with the use of characters: Noboru, the protagonist, symbolizes the former whereas Fusako, his mother, represents the latter. The nihilistic group of boys, in which Noboru is involved, practices “absolute dispassion” (Mishima 54) and trains to be cold and callous; this is an aspect of bushido, which suggests that Noboru is a representation of the patriarchal Japan. There is much evidence for Fusako’s representing modernity; she takes on the family business that her husband leaves behind in death, taking the role of a man. Furthermore, the business is a western clothing store that deals with European merchandise and customers. The internal conflict of Ryuji Tsukazaki is major because it is parallel to the conflict within