Personal and Historical Struggles: The Thin Red Line in The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea Shane Kaucheck 12th Grade

The year is 1946 and the island nation of Japan is still reeling from a devastating loss in the Pacific Theater. While the fighting and violence may have subsided in the wake of the West’s domination, a war still rages on in the psyches and souls of the people. It will not be long before all Japanese citizens will reach an ultimatum: Westernize or be faced with social alienation. More generally speaking: conform to the new way of modern thought or be left behind by society. It was this exact issue that Japanese author, Yukio Mishima, struggled with in his personal life; a struggle which is reflected in his most famous work, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea.

Cradled in wealth but tormented by societal alienation, Japanese author Yukio Mishima in his book, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, expresses his personal frustrations with a Westernizing post-war Japan and also provides readers with a deep dive into the mind of the similarly troubled protagonist, Noboru Kuroda. While it is difficult to analyze many of Mishima’s works without investigating the greater context of his personal life and experiences, this short book is still filled to the brim with complex ideas and opinions expressed both directly by...