The Sound of Waves Reflection Essay Sample

In Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves the reader is immersed in a rich. traditional. religious signifier of Nipponese civilization. The island is non merely an accurate portraiture of the traditional Nipponese civilization but besides that of the western universe which is doing its manner to the little Nipponese island in which the books secret plan unfolds. Mishima manages to demo the reader of the importance of maintaining with tradition and the past through the older coevals that lives on the island every bit good as the supporter Shinji. nevertheless the other members of Shinji’s coevals that have gotten a gustatory sensation of the outside universe have brought back their freshly adopted westernized civilization which in Mishima’s eyes are perverting the Island from within. In my sentiment. the importance of being able to reflect on the yesteryear is the lone manner to come on in the hereafter. nevertheless non accepting the progresss of the outside universe simply slows or ceases the betterment of human life.

The Island in which The sound of Waves takes topographic point is one which is steadfastly rotted in the common beliefs and traditions of the Nipponese faith know as Shintoism. Shintoism shows great importance on being able to reflect on and praise your ascendants because their psyches or Kami continue to travel through the universe even though the person’s physical organic structure has passed off. Shinji. his female parent. and younger brother do a journey up 200 stairss to the shrine “Yashiro” this shrine is used to explicate the significance that civilization has towards the indigens of the island on a deeper degree. Once the journey to the shrine is complete Shinji and his household partakes in a traditional ceremonial where they give offerings to the shrine and mourn the decease of Shinji’s male parent that was killed in WW2. However non all that takes topographic point on the island is so profoundly rooted in tradition. the younger coevals has been able to go outside the island and have been exposed to the western universe that has made its manner to Japan. They bring back the things that Mishima believes are destructing the Nipponese civilization and manner of life.

All in all the civilization of the island in Mishima’s The Sound of Waves is that rooted in deep traditional civilization. These beliefs runing from the traditional beliefs of their faith. Shintoism. to the journey up the 200 stairss to be able to mourn at the shrine. However the outside universe is easy altering the traditions of the island and doing it something that Mishima believes is non what is best for the wellness of Japan. Ultimately it is up to the readers reading to find what is better. either remain with tradition or travel frontward and increase the quality of human life.