The Temple of the Golden Pavilion: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" delves into the intricate lives of its major characters, examining their relationships and personal struggles against the backdrop of a renowned Zen temple. Central to the narrative is Mizoguchi, a young acolyte grappling with feelings of isolation, physical frailty, and a deep obsession with the temple's beauty. His journey toward liberation leads him to commit an act of destruction by setting fire to the temple, a significant turning point in the story. Other characters include Kashiwagi, a manipulative student who exploits his disability while encouraging Mizoguchi's reckless behavior, and Tsurukawa, a seemingly cheerful acolyte whose tragic death reveals deeper emotional struggles. Father Dosen, the temple's superior, offers a complex mentorship to Mizoguchi, marked by indifference and a lack of true understanding. The narrative also introduces Uiko, a nurse whose tragic fate leaves a lasting impact on Mizoguchi, and Father Zenkai, a contrasting figure who embodies strength and clarity. These characters collectively explore themes of beauty, obsession, isolation, and the search for meaning within the confines of their lives and the temple's legacy.
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Yukio Mishima
First published: Kinkakuji, 1956 (English translation, 1959)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Kyoto, Japan
Plot: Psychological realism
Time: The early 1940's through July 2, 1950
Mizoguchi, a young Zen acolyte, from a poverty-stricken background, at the Temple of the Golden Pavilion and a student at Otani University. He is a physically frail only child, and he recognizes early that he is ugly and that his speech impediment (a stutter) locks him away from easy communication with the rest of the world. Alienated and isolated, he lives virtually in an inner world, stubbornly proud that no one understands him. From his youth, he is obsessed with the beauty of the Golden Temple. At the age of twenty-one, to become free of that obsession, he sets fire to the beautiful Zen temple, a revered architectural wonder more than five hundred years old.
Kashiwagi, a clubfooted student at Otani University. Misanthropic and selfish, he uses his disability to take advantage of other people's feelings and to promote his own selfish desires. He is a negative influence who counsels Mizoguchi to be more active in life, but in a selfish, nihilistic manner. By reporting to Father Dosen that Mizoguchi failed to repay a personal loan, Kashiwagi nearly gets Mizoguchi expelled from the temple.
Tsurukawa, a Zen acolyte at the Golden Temple and a student at Otani University. Seemingly cheerful and gentle, he comes from the suburbs of Tokyo, the son of affluent parents. He befriends Mizoguchi, urging him to break out of his quiet isolation. When the two acolytes begin to matriculate at Otani University, their relationship falters. Tsurukawa's death, at first reported as an accident, later is revealed as a probable suicide caused by an unhappy love affair. Letters written by Tsurukawa shortly before his death also call into question his previous seemingly cheerful disposition.
Father Tayama Dosen, a friend of Mizoguchi's father in their seminary days and currently superior of the Temple of the Golden Pavilion. A plump man, he devotes his free time to various satisfactions of the flesh. Although on the surface a fair and impartial superior, Father Dosen shows no feelings for Mizoguchi all the time that he acts as his mentor. He provides the tuition that allows Mizoguchi to attend Otani University, but after Mizoguchi falters in his studies and increasingly becomes more undisciplined at the temple, Father Dosen tells Mizoguchi that he has lost his opportunity to become the superior's successor at the temple.
Uiko, a volunteer nurse at a naval hospital. This proud young woman from a wealthy family attracts the young Mizoguchi. After she tells her parents of Mizoguchi's watching for her as she bicycles to work at dawn, Mizoguchi wishes for her death, thinking that it would end his embarrassment. A few months later, Uiko dies when a Navy deserter, whom she had been secretly aiding, shoots her when she leads the military police to his hiding place. After her death, Mizoguchi continues to be preoccupied with her memory, and he often thinks of her when he comes into contact with other women.
Mizoguchi's father, an impoverished country priest. Knowing that he will soon die from tuberculosis, he takes his adolescent son to see the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, which to the father is a structure of limitless beauty, and to place him under the protection of Father Dosen.
Mizoguchi's mother, a shabby, impoverished wife, then widow. Her ambition is to see her son as the superior of the Golden Temple. She berates Mizoguchi for being undutiful while an acolyte at the temple.
Father Kuwai Zenkai, a Zen priest, the head of Ryoko Temple. Strong and healthy in appearance and character, he serves as a contrast to his two friends from seminary days—Mizoguchi's father and Father Dosen. Father Zenkai is candid when he talks to Mizoguchi a few hours before the temple burns, and Mizoguchi yearns for this priest to understand him.
Mariko, a prostitute a few years older than Mizoguchi. She warns him that he should not frequent the brothel too often.