The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" explores the complex relationships between its major characters, set against themes of heroism, nihilism, and the struggle between land and sea. Ryuji Tsukazaki, a seasoned sailor, symbolizes the longing for glory and the connection to the vastness of the ocean. His relationships with Fusako Kuroda, a widow and owner of a clothing boutique, and her son, Noboru, highlight the tension between personal aspirations and familial expectations. Ryuji's desire to leave the sea and embrace domestic life is met with resistance from Noboru, who idolizes him and views his decision as a betrayal of their shared bond with the sea.
Noboru, a thirteen-year-old boy, grapples with nihilistic beliefs while seeking meaning through Ryuji's strength. His shift in perception, as Ryuji's actions move him away from the hero archetype, leads to a tragic culmination of events where Noboru, under the influence of his friend The Chief, believes he must punish Ryuji for his perceived weakness. The Chief serves as a nihilistic mentor, guiding Noboru toward a dark and unsettling resolution that reflects the story's critique of middle-class values and the loss of innocence. This narrative invites readers to reflect on the nature of heroism, the impact of familial relationships, and the consequences of societal pressures.
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Yukio Mishima
First published: Gogo no eik, 1963 (English translation, 1965)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Yokohama, Japan
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: After World War II, perhaps the late 1950's
Ryuji Tsukazaki, a sailor and Fusako Kuroda's lover. Having crossed the seas countless times on a freighter, Ryuji is thoroughly at home on the ocean and enjoys his work but lately has had passing thoughts of settling permanently on land. He also sees himself as destined for some kind of glory, although he cannot yet define in his own mind what kind of glory he will receive. He meets Fusako Kuroda and her son Noboru and becomes her lover, as well as a hero figure for the son, who is fascinated with his strength. Ryuji and Fusako decide to get married; he further determines to retire from the sea and work for her in the fashion boutique that she owns. Ryuji's determination to retire from the sea enrages her son, Noboru, who wants Ryuji to retain his hero status by remaining primarily at sea. Ryuji finally receives his ironic “glory” by means of a painful death at the hands of Noboru and his friends, who seek to punish him.
Noboru Kuroda, a thirteen-year-old boy and the son of Fusako Kuroda. Noboru, like his friends, is a nihilist who believes that there is little meaning in life; nevertheless, he is fascinated with the strength and vastness of the sea and with Ryuji, who lives on and in the sea. Noboru believes that Ryuji partakes of the sea's strength. When Ryuji becomes Fusako's lover, Noboru is delighted, seeing direct links between himself and his mother, his mother and the sailor, and the sailor and the sea. Through this linkage to the sea and his general fascination with the strength of the sailor, Noboru begins to see some significance in his own life. When the sailor retires from the sea and exhibits “weak” behavior, such as working in a dress shop, he is no longer of heroic stature in Noboru's eyes, and the psychic linkage of the boy to the sea is broken. He is infuriated and decides to punish Ryuji for “falling out of grace” with the sea. The punishment is a ritualistic murder of Ryuji.
Fusako Kuroda, Noboru's mother, a widow and owner of a clothing boutique. A very lonely woman since the death of her husband, Fusako occupies herself at her shop. When the sailor, Ryuji, comes into her life, the vacuum is filled, and she happily looks forward to marriage and a classic suburban domestic life with her new mate. She is completely unaware of her son's strange, nihilistic bent, and she unwittingly draws her intended husband to his death by attracting him to a domesticated but unheroic existence on land. She reflects the author's own distaste for the unimaginative middle-class mentality, and she is left a pitiful figure at the end, unaware of what will become of her fiancé and of the awful deed perpetrated by her son and his friends.
The Chief, a thirteen-year-old boy, Noboru's friend and leader of their six-member gang. The Chief is the instructor in nihilism for the boys. He spends his time at their meetings enlightening them on the meaninglessness and chaos in the world, directly reflecting the author's own views. He makes Noboru kill a kitten and then proceeds to dissect it to show the gang that there is nothing sacred or magic about a living being. It is the Chief who suggests to Noboru that killing the sailor would be an appropriate way to punish him and to return the sailor to his heroic status.