It is not altogether fitting that these two young people be allowed to marry, especially in Terukichi's opinion. Hatsue is from a wealthy family her father, Terukichi Miyata, is a venerable and successful businessman who owns two coastal freighters. Shinji is from a poor family and makes his living as a fisherman. Social class is a significant aspect of the novel in that it keeps Shinji and Hatsue apart, thus forming the central conflict. It provides, protects, and nurtures the island dwellers. Nature is a mostly benevolent force that rewards hard work and morality.
#Sound of sea waves quotes full
As Chiyoko observes, the people of the island "enthusiastically entered into an alliance with nature and gave it their full support" (80). Nature informs all aspects of life on Uta-jima and provides a daily living for nearly all of its inhabitants. Nature is supportive of the lovers' quest and makes no attempt to impede the fruition of their love indeed, she can even be said to be guilty of subverting the forces of evil and immorality, as when a hornet stops Yasuo from raping Hatsue. The storms often take place at moments of heightened action or emotion in the novel, such as when Shinji must commit his act of valor on the freighter and when Shinji and Hatsue meet to express their love in the tower. She is constantly revealing herself in the crashing of the waves, the pouring rain, the heaving seas, the tumultuous skies. Nature's power is on full display in this novel. Thus, first love is shown to be powerful as well as healthy and enlightening. The presence and thought of Hatsue excites and enervates his once-placid mind he is more ambitious and desirous to leave the island and experience freedom due to this burgeoning relationship. Thus, his own coming-of-age is also inextricably linked with his taste of first love. His once-simple plan of simply growing up and owning a fishing boat with his brother has not changed, but he can no longer conceive of this plan without Hatsue. He is confused and disconcerted at how he cannot seem to shake her from his mind. He wonders if he is sick since he cannot sleep. Shinji himself is surprised at how he reacts to even the mere mention of Hatsue's name after he first sees her one day at the beach.
Mostly through Shinji's perspective, the reader comes face-to-face with the diverting, consuming, life-changing power of first love. In his sparse, lucid prose, Mishima takes his readers through the courtship, estrangement, and eventual happy union of Shinji and Hatsue, two young denizens of the Japanese isle of Uta-jima in the post-WWII period. The Sound of Waves is primarily known for being a love story. This maturation allows him to also finally have the love of the woman he desires, completing the novel’s love story, for his strength and courage while facing the unknown are what win the approval of her father. Even though he may not leave the island for good, he is content with the fact that he had actually been to the world beyond the horizon. When Shinji returns from his voyage, he is more worldly and experienced. The drama of their love and courtship and its eventual frustration by Hatsue's father leads to his acceptance of a position upon the Utajima-maru this is not done to impress Terukichi but to finally garner a taste of the unknown and of freedom. He begins to have sleepless nights and experience new, disconcerting emotions. However, this all changes with his love for Hatsue.
He felt uneasy when contemplating the unknown. He was rarely affected by any external forces, whether it was sickness or mental perturbation from some event or person. He conceived of the sea around Uta-jima as a farmer conceives of his plot of land. He did not have ambitious life goals other than to own a fishing boat with his brother. Before Hatsue, Shinji lived a quiet, peaceful life characterized by certainty and naivete. The Shinji that readers encounter at the beginning of the novel differs from the Shinji that is encountered at the end of the novel.
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