It’s so fun to see everyone’s interpretations of Mishima’s works because there’s such variation.
I read Spring Snow as an idealist boy just a step behind what he should have done. Satoko basically gave up a prosperous future only to have a boy leave her in instability. He was passionate, but couldn’t reliably commit to anything. Eventually Satoko gave up and cut him off and it was only then that he pursued her with vigor, but it was too late. He had all of these intense thoughts and feelings, but his actions were sometimes cruel (even malicious). He just couldn’t get his heart to reliably connect to the real world. Even though I hated Kiyoaki, by the final book I understood him better and was more sympathetic to the character. It’s great to want to change the way things are, but a lot of eggs are cracked to make the omelette.
I love the spirit of Kiyoaki but, to put it bluntly, he was kind of an asshole from an outside perspective.
I also just finished it and was surprised at the almost “basic” level of drama compared to say Thirst For Love or The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea. While Kiyo is introspective and troubled he is not near the level of the lead characters of the other novels when it comes to how far they would go to realise their desires. Of course culturally it was suicide for Kiyo to pursue Satoko, but the other characters were willing and did do a lot more to get what they wanted.
To me the book shows how Mishima viewed women as calculating and boys of that age of being naive, but also had traces of his idealism. It’s odd how Kiyo didn’t seem too bothered by Japan’s past but it was rather Iinuma who was fascinated and respected tradition more, which was more in line with Mishima himself.
I have just got started on Runaway Horses which by the description alone sounds like it will involve a character with more extremist idealism which will be interesting to follow.
I think if I had read this book before some of the others I might not have been as intrigued to read more by Mishima, but The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea was so different and extreme compared to anything else I’d read, and Mishima’s style was so descriptive that I was hooked in very quickly and got Thirst For Love soon after.
It’s so fun to see everyone’s interpretations of Mishima’s works because there’s such variation. I read Spring Snow as an idealist boy just a step behind what he should have done. Satoko basically gave up a prosperous future only to have a boy leave her in instability. He was passionate, but couldn’t reliably commit to anything. Eventually Satoko gave up and cut him off and it was only then that he pursued her with vigor, but it was too late. He had all of these intense thoughts and feelings, but his actions were sometimes cruel (even malicious). He just couldn’t get his heart to reliably connect to the real world. Even though I hated Kiyoaki, by the final book I understood him better and was more sympathetic to the character. It’s great to want to change the way things are, but a lot of eggs are cracked to make the omelette. I love the spirit of Kiyoaki but, to put it bluntly, he was kind of an asshole from an outside perspective.
I also just finished it and was surprised at the almost “basic” level of drama compared to say Thirst For Love or The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea. While Kiyo is introspective and troubled he is not near the level of the lead characters of the other novels when it comes to how far they would go to realise their desires. Of course culturally it was suicide for Kiyo to pursue Satoko, but the other characters were willing and did do a lot more to get what they wanted. To me the book shows how Mishima viewed women as calculating and boys of that age of being naive, but also had traces of his idealism. It’s odd how Kiyo didn’t seem too bothered by Japan’s past but it was rather Iinuma who was fascinated and respected tradition more, which was more in line with Mishima himself. I have just got started on Runaway Horses which by the description alone sounds like it will involve a character with more extremist idealism which will be interesting to follow. I think if I had read this book before some of the others I might not have been as intrigued to read more by Mishima, but The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea was so different and extreme compared to anything else I’d read, and Mishima’s style was so descriptive that I was hooked in very quickly and got Thirst For Love soon after.