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mushyneedles 's review for:
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
by Yukio Mishima
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The language itself was lyrical and captivating, which only made the unsettling story even more so. The subject matter is bleak and creepy and terrifying as a stand alone piece but especially in the context of Mishima’s ideologies and life.
I went into this thinking Noburo as the allegorical representation of traditional Japan would be Mishima’s fictional counterpart in this story, as Fusako is of the west. But I realise Mishima seems to have represented himself or perhaps the general ‘self’ of agency in Ryuji, the sailor torn between worlds. I find it interesting he’s dissected himself and his ideologies into two conflicting characters in that way and can only begin to imagine how much of this actually reflects the violence of the conflicts and resolve that existed in his own sense of self.
I went into this thinking Noburo as the allegorical representation of traditional Japan would be Mishima’s fictional counterpart in this story, as Fusako is of the west. But I realise Mishima seems to have represented himself or perhaps the general ‘self’ of agency in Ryuji, the sailor torn between worlds. I find it interesting he’s dissected himself and his ideologies into two conflicting characters in that way and can only begin to imagine how much of this actually reflects the violence of the conflicts and resolve that existed in his own sense of self.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, Violence