Stories About Love and Betrayal in every culture throughout the world, many authors use literature to communicate their knowledge and experiences in various forms. While many of the greatest works of literature that have ever existed are based on the culture of the authors who wrote said works, other works are based on the emotions particularly, love. Many love stories have had the ability to attract a lot of people for two reasons: One, the emotions that two people feel throughout the duration of their relationship. Second, readers of love storied are enticed by the charming ending where two lovers (destined for one another) live happily ever after. However, this ending is not always the case in some love stories. To truly understand how Japanese literature works, this paper will examine and analyze aspects from two Japanese stories Snow Country, and The Love Suicides at Sonezaki.
When looking at both works, the reader will notice some elements of Tanabata (in English, it is called the Star Festival) present in both works. Before delving into the aspects of Tanabata found in both works, one must be familiar with the origins surrounding this Japanese tradition. On the seventh day of the seventh month of each year, Japanese people celebrate the tradition of Tanabata by writing their wishes on small, colorful strips of paper and attaching them to bamboo branches (Mishima). Many Japanese people, young and old, hope their wishes come true. According to legend, in the far reaches of space, Orihime, a weaver princess, met Hikoboshi, a cow herder, and the two began to develop feelings for one another. As time progressed, the two would play with one another without any regard for their duties. The King, Orihime's father, eventually discovered their relationship and forbade them from seeing one another. The two would cry and sob every day until the King permitted Orihime to see her lover for only one day (Mishima).
In Kawagata's Snow Country, Shimamura has priorities, obligations, and commitments he must attend to on a regular basis, and just cannot simply abandon them whenever he chooses. He must work to provide for his wife and children and is unable to see Komako, his secret lover. It is only during the Tanabata festival that Shimamura goes on an excursion to the mountainside town to see Komako. Just as the weaver princess and the ox herder were in the Tanabata myth, Shimamura and Komako are separated for a long period and can reunite once a year. In addition, Kawabata alludes to the Tanabata festival when the two lovers visit Chijimi. As stated in his novel, "He stayed so long that one might wonder whether or not he had forgotten his wife and children. He stayed not because he could not leave Komoko nor because he did not want to. He had simply fallen into the habit of waiting for those frequent visits" (Kawabata, 155). In this scene, Shimamura gazes deeply at the abandoned sheds and buildings in Chijimi while thinking about his affair w...
