Compare And Contrast Yasuo And Chiyoko As Foils

The Application of Yasuo and Chiyoko as Foils to Shinji and Hatsue for the Express Purpose of Illustrating an Ideal Relationship Within Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves

In art there is a common exercise wherein the artist draws the negative space around an object, instead of the object itself. By focusing on what isn’t there instead of what is, an artist can further understand the basic shape of the object and the concepts of drawing. While not an exact metaphor, similar concepts can be used in many other areas, including literature. In literature there is even a name for the phenomenon – foils, wherein contrasting characters are used to expand the meaning and purpose of the focus set, or the object the artist draws. One example of such is the relationship of Yasuo and Chiyoko as a foil to Shinji and Hatsue within Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves.
The whole of The Sound of Waves is based around the ideal that is Shinji and Hatsue’s relationship. The whole central plot of the novel is based around the pair of them ending up together, and despite the many obstacles faced from the start the reader
The entire book is centered around this in a variety of manners – the use of nature as a reason towards why the ideal person is natural instead of urban, the development of the relationship as to how relationships ought to develop, and their visits to the shrine shows that duty and respect for the gods are important qualities to have. By giving a pair who have none of these a contrast is created; the purpose is to teach a lesson and it is often easier to teach what not to do instead of what to do. Therefore, by the inclusiveness of Yasuo and Chiyoko, Mishima’s purpose with the characters and his purpose with the novel overall becomes clear and present, and so the intent of spreading the message to an audience is