Sound Of Waves

What does tradition mean to you? In the Sound of Waves tradition is valued greatly. The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima deals with two young adults who fall in love with each other and have to deal with the gossip of the town. Mishima uses characterization to develop the theme “Tradition will always be valued more than modernization” throughout the Sound of Waves.

Mishima uses the relationships of the townspeople to represent the importance of tradition on the island.
“Like this I should be able to have four or five children more. But at the thought her virtuous heart became filled with contrition. Quickly fixing her clothing, she bowed before her husband’s memorial tablet.”pg 69. Shinji’s mom feels as if she is healthy, young and strong enough to have more children, but since she had a past relationship made her feel guilty and made her think more traditionally. “It’s bad. It’s bad! … It’s bad for a girl to do that before she is married.” pg 77. Also in
For example “... he had went to the school principal… and since then he had made it a point to take part of the days catch to the lighthouse from time to time.” pg 9. This quote shows how Shinji is respectful because he is repaying the lighthouse keeper because he helped him pass school and he brings him fish almost everyday. Also “The sound of his clapped hands, calling the gods attention, sounded through the shrine garden, and Shinji prayed in his heart…” pg 25. This quote symbolizes the fact that Shinji and so many other people worship their gods daily and ask their gods for things, this is a normal thing to do everyday unlike in the modernized world where they forget about the gods and normal things like wearing traditional clothes. Mishima uses respect for all things throughout Sound of Waves he also uses the type of work ethic of the people on the