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The written word is one of the oldest and most beautiful forms of communication. It can be said that one of the strongest emotions ever extracted from the human spirit came from the written word. In Japanese literature, you can find some of the most radiant stories ever written. Some authors would use the earth around them to tell their stories. Using nature in Japanese literature was a whole other form of storytelling. In The Peony Garden by Nagai Kate, the story on the surface seems to be very bland.
However, once the usage of nature is explored its realized that this is a story filled with so much empathy that its screaming. The beginning of the story talks about a type of flower, Peony. This is a supposedly beautiful famous flower garden that is desired and loved by all. The on again, off again lovers decide it would be nice to see this wonderful garden. The man talks about how they had spent the prior evening together and that the rain had kept them inside a cramped room all day. Once they are in the street, he talks about the breeze that comes from the ending of the storm.
The street gave us a feeling of release, and the breeze that blew down the rows of houses from the river was indescribably fresh against faces recovering from overindulgence. The breeze was rejuvenating, as if the moment the breeze fluttered across his face, whatever happened the night before was forgiven. He is in a pleasant state right now as he speaks about the world around him. The deep, glowing blue of the sky was especially beautiful, and the fading colors of the evening. The rich green of the Kanda Canal in the rising tide shone like a freshly polished sheet of glass, catching the sun as it sank into the grove of the Kanda Shrine. How absolutely beautiful and happy.
He goes on to validate his emotions by saying, The whole city, washed of dust by the rain, seemed clean, relaxed, pleasant. This could mean that he is looking for a new start in his life. As if everything was washed away from the rain and he can begin again. He strays away from the natural surroundings and as he continues to the ferry, begins to notice all the other people around him. It strikes him, almost violently that the world around him isnt his and that it does exist and move on without him. It suddenly seemed to me that coming from an inn with this woman, I had nothing to do with a world that had gone on moving without me.
The world and I were controlled by separate destinies, taking us in separate directions. This did not strike him while looking at the water or the clouds, he felt this horror when looking upon all the man made articles around him. Once they reach the boat that will take them to the beautiful garden he once again is comforted. The little boat moved off, swaying in the flood tide of evening.
With the swaying came distant, gentle memories, somehow cut of from the present, of how my nurse had rocked me in her arms. He continues to feel this calming sensations as he speaks about flowers and waves. On the way to the Garden there are a series of 4 bridges to pass. You can almost see the pattern of emotions emerge as they continue on their journey. Once they come to the first bridge they start to discuss their relationship together. Their relationship has been a rocky one, living together for 6 months at one time.
However, it never did work out, he believed they are too young to be involved so seriously. Prior to this discussion the area around them is mentioned yet again. The canal was a fairly wide one, but wherever there was water, there were barges piled with every imaginable sort of cargo. The water is now becoming full of debris, it is not as serene and beautiful as it had looked before It is almost as if his mind starts to get cluttered talking about their relationship.
They come to the second bridge right after he tells her point blank that they absolutely can not be together. As they move along, everything turns almost sullen. He describes how the breeze stopped and the evening air was suddenly quiet. The shadows of the kindling wood, in beautiful gabled stacks, were already dark.
Sheaves of bamboo standing on end at the approaches to the bridges were sharp, black towers against the evening sky. But the scenery was unchanging, however far we went, and the charm of the boat was vanishing, leaving only the discomfort of the thin rush mats. This makes it seem like they are traveling into total and utter despair, almost like the end of the world. Earlier in the book he had commented on how beautiful the boat was and now, it is as if it never was. They start to get tired, almost bored of this trip they were so eager for.
By the time they reach their destination, they don t even seem to want to be there anymore. Maybe they are getting bored of each other, the novelty has worn off. Maybe their souls are tired. Now they have finally reached the famous peony garden. Gone is that delightful breeze and gloriously wet shining ground. He is now in a humid fog piled high with mud.
The low lying outskirts of town are humid at best, and the lane was muddy. Picking our way through the puddles, we went to the gate, and on along flagstones among old dwarfed trees. From this statement we gather a grey mood, the bright is replaced by the dull. Then once they actually view the blossoms, they are dissapointed. Even the blossoms that had not lost all of their petals were faded badly, their hearts black and gaping. They continue on to yet more of the flowers when everything in this story comes together.
The weariness and boredom of having been made to bloom too long seemed to flow from each blossom. These peonies had something in common with us, I thought. Its as if he is saying that they waited for each other for so long that their love has all but died. If it wasn t for that comparision to the flower the whole point of the story would have been missed.
There is a part in the story when the man speaks to his lover about why a life together will not work out for them. He explains to her that their love must wait until they have both lived their single life to the fullest. What this story is saying is that people always want what they don t have, once they get that one thing, they don t really want it anymore. This is like the lovers relationship, when they are together they don t want to be and when they are not, they do. This is why once they got to the gardens, they are so dead. The last few words in the story are very very poignant and true.
Are these the Hong peonies? Are these all? Famous places are always disappointments. This is a comparision to love, they were so eager to be in love and all it was for them was a disappointment. In the story The Bonfire, by Kunikida Doppo the role of nature plays a big one. In the first part of the story it is realized that it is the beginning of winter.
The narrator describes the scene around him. Dead reeds bristle thick on the river bank, rustling in the salt wind. The ice that formed unseen at the base of their stalks with the full night tide, shattered by the morning ebb, remains unmelted through the day. This gives the reader a feeling of an unhappy situation. It sets a morose mood, one filled with unmentioned sadness. There are a group of boys who are the most liveliest beings on the beach.
They are off to find some items to build a fire with, they look to the sea. They attempt to set a fire but at first think they have failed. Once they have all but given up, the fire catches and the boys content with their accomplishment go on home. This is when the story begins to open up.
An old man approaches the fire and all of the sudden the mood changes. It is almost like a homecoming for the old man, and he is greatful for that. Ah, this wonderful fire. I wish I could thank the person who built it, he said. This fire was a blessing for this lonely wanderer. It was as if this was the only happiness he had felt in years.
This fire cast some happiness on the gloom of the night and the old man was greatful to be here to see it. In that moment he forgot the sorrow of his endless wandering. The old mans heart returned once more to the days when he was a boy. The boys that had built the fire had left their spirit and it had transcended into that of the old man giving him life once again.
In these two stories, the use of nature as a way of setting the mood is so subtle yet so strong. It takes some interpretation to figure out just exactly what the author is trying to tell you. It is like putting together pieces of a puzzle and once you are done the picture is glorious. 342
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Research essay sample on Japanese Literature Peony Garden Story
