oofym 's review for:

The Frolic of the Beasts by Yukio Mishima

4.0

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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"Kōji was afraid of this thick, gravy-like rural night. The graphic quality of everything that lay in slumber during the day awakening all at once was so much more physical than nights in the city, and the night itself was like a colossal, intense piece of meat saturated with hot blood." 

Mishima's descriptive writing is beautiful and incredibly unique, not only when it comes to landscapes and scenery, but also when describing his characters. He uses strong and evocative metaphors as descriptions of people's appearances and actions, which gives each of the characters a very unique image.

The frolic of the beasts seems to be playing with the nature of what we hide, and what we reveal; our masks so to speak. There's an undercurrent throughout this story of the vile parts of human souls which lie buried under a mountain of justifications, social restrictions and honor; the internal hidden by the external which will occasionally rear its ugly head and wreak havoc. 

In the end, guilt, desire and letting go finish off the story. There's alot of subtle emotions and investigations on human intricacies laid throughout the novella, and I believe what Mishima is trying to do here is to showcase many of the ways in which the strings of life and fate tug and pull us in certain directions.

What drives a human to act out, to commit a sin? How do you progress from that point?; repentance, forgiveness, moving on? And what about desire? Can it be forgotten, can It be hidden and imprisoned? Or must our forbidden and carnal vices eventually show themselves in one way or another?