The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea Extended Essay
Thoughts: The Key to the Mind and Soul
IB Extended Paper
In the novels The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, by Yukio Mishima, and Wonderful Fool, by Shusaku Endo, the authors write in a way which allows the characters to speak directly to the reader through thoughts. This device lets the reader know exactly what the character is experiencing. Mishima and Endo's use of direct thought communication proves to be a beneficial aspect that aids the reader in understanding these works of literature. Both authors use this literary technique to clearly express to the readers the true thoughts and feelings of the characters; in turn allowing the reader to realize and understand the changes that each character undergoes, and ultimately comprehend the rebirth that the characters experience.
In The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, Mishima chooses to have the character Ryuji express his true ideas and sentiments through a direct statement of thought. After spending his first night with Fusako, Ryuji reflects on his glory the next morning while alone. "There's just one thing I'm destined for and that's glory; that's right glory!" (Mishima 16). He goes on to think, "there must be a special destiny in store for me; a glittering, special-order kind no ordinary man would be permitted" (Mishima 17). Through his contemplation of glory, the reader is allowed a glimpse into Ryuji's true thoughts on his destiny and purpose in life. Ryuji's ideas are used to convey to the reader exactly what he is feeling; this is important because the reader can now understand Ryuji's beliefs and comprehend the enormity of change, from a life at sea to a life at land, he will soon experience.
The change Ryuji undergoes later in the novel is expressed to the reader through Mishima’s employment of the technique of sharing Ryuji’s thoughts. Ryuji’s change is a result of his having to choose between a life at sea, where he feels his glory awaits him, or a life on land with Fusako. Ryuji’s introspection on his life and glory are conveyed to the reader through his expression of boredom and disillusionment. At dawn of New Year’s Day, Ryuji stands at the dock with Fusako and thinks about his being, "tired to death of the squalor and the boredom in a sailor's life . . . There was no glory to be found, not anywhere in the world" (Mishima...