The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

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How does Fusako and Ryuji’s first encounter foreshadow the dynamics of their future relationship?

In Yukio Mishima’s novel The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, first encounters between characters are fundamental in developing their relationship dynamic. When Fusako Kuroda and Noboru are led onto the ship Rakuyo, Ryuji—its second officer in command—is appointed as their guide. Mishima uses dominant diction and invigorating imagery to immediately introduce the romantic nature of their prevailing relationship, and to foreshadow the future sacrifices both characters will have to endure in the name of love.

After both having been deprived of close social interaction for many years, Fusako and Ryuji are at first uncomfortable when dealing with each other’s presence. Initially, Ryuji’s eyes “confronted her”. The attention does not flatter Fusako— instead she feels as though Ryuji is challenging the independence she has worked so hard to develop ever since her husband died. Unable to compose her emotions, Fusako blames the “uncomfortable”(30) moment on Ryuji, for his eyes “had no business piercing that way”(29). Mishima’s diction in the words “ravaging”, “piercing”, “shudder”, “disconcerted”, “oppress” and “probed” continues to highlight the invasive tension of their interaction. While Fusako struggles to explain her emotional reaction to Ryuji’s presence, it slowly becomes clear to the reader that the tension created is one of excitement, rather than distaste. The attention is overwhelming, but the opportunity for desire, and being desired, overweighs the unnaturalness of the initial confrontation. As she then opens up her parasol “against the sun”(30), she discovers “something unexpected in the shadow of his heavy brow”(30-31). It is as if the oppressive “broad light of day”(31) forces Fusako to maintain a socially accepted persona, and by protecting herself from its scrutiny, she finds comfort in the shade’s non-judgmental darkness. It is in this freedom that Fusako discerns a deeper emotional understanding in Ryuji’s similarly dark shadows of his brow—perhaps a glisten in his “deep-set”(29) eyes. Mishima builds on this emotional connection with the introduction of chemistry. When standing side-by-side, the “heat of his body in the sultry chart room”(31) becomes almost too much for Fusako to handle—she faints. Mishima uses the imagery of heat to add to the energy of their physical attraction. Although sudden, it is no longer a shock to the reader when Fusako proposes Ryuji join her for dinner the next evening. Although spoken “coolly”(35), these were the words of a “woman stricken with heat”(35) - the heat of the now undeniable attraction.

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The emotional development of Fusako’s character during her first encounter with Ryuji is reflected in the extensive imagery of the cargo being hoisted out of the ship’s hold. The hold in which the cargo was kept is a “large, dark fissure in the steel plates of the deck”(34). This cargo has a double entendre since it also symbolizes Fusako’s emotional baggage. In the “large, dark fissure”, the emotionally suppressed Fusako has lived isolated from the world of love, happiness, and opportunity, and held captive by the “steel plates” of society’s expectations. When lifted, the “slats of sunlight slipped nimbly over ...

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