Ask the Expert Tutor: The Sound of Waves
As part of our ‘Ask the Expert Tutor’ series, we will be discussing Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves, one of the possible set text options for CIE World Literature at IGCSE.
The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima was first published in 1954, and is considered a major work of modern Japanese literature. A love story set on an isolated fictional island called Uto-Jima, The Sound of Waves is also a meditation on the ways that Japanese society has changed following World War Two.
Shinji is a teenager living in an isolated fishing village on the island of Uto-Jima, who falls in love with Hatsue, the daughter of a wealthier fisherman. This text, commonly chosen as an IGCSE set text for the CIE World Literature syllabus, is a sweet love story in a rural setting. However, there’s a hidden depth in Mishima’s depiction of island life. Throughout the novel, he champions traditional Japanese values and practices, and more strikingly, he criticises Japan’s modernisation and westernisation efforts in the aftermath of World War Two and the American occupation of the country.
IGCSE is the first time an English student is expected to display an understanding of not only the text itself, but also its authorial and cultural context. The strongest candidates for IGCSE will use this knowledge to inform their reading of the text, integrating it into their language analysis, so it’s vitally important that students have a solid understanding of both Mishima as a person, as well as the society about which he was writing.
Yukio Mishima is undoubtedly a complex and difficult figure. A brilliant writer influenced by the Western Romantics just as much as Japanese classics, there are difficult aspects to his personality that must be acknowledged. He was an ardent nationalist, and longed for the glory days of Imperial Japan. He also dealt with personal troubles, being a closeted gay man married to a woman, and ashamed of his sexuality. The combined valorisation of Imperial Japan and his personal shame led him to fetishise masculinity (a point clearly visible in the way the narrator lingers over Shinji’s physique in The Sound of Waves). Tragically, it also led to his demise. In 1970, Mishima and a group of other fellow extreme nationalists entered an army barracks, determined to convince them to overthrow Japan’s democratically elected government in favour of restoring the supremacy of the Emperor. The officers responded by laughing at the would-be coup d’etat, and Mishima committed a ritual form of suicide known as seppuku in response.
When the novel was published in the mid-1950s, Japan was rapidly modernising, enjoying unprecedented economic development and social changes – from education to the role of women in society. The Sound of Waves portrays a by-gone era of Japan, one that relies on masculinity and traditional practices like fishing to sustain itself. Even in Mishima’s novel, there is an awareness that this lifestyle is fading in relevance, and that its author is fighting a losing battle against the changes across Japan.
For an idea of how a thorough understanding of context can enhance an IGCSE student’s response, let’s take a look at this IGCSE past paper question, and a student’s body paragraph.
Question: How does Mishima’s portrayal of Chiyoko contribute strikingly to the impact of the novel?
Response: Mishima uses the character of Chiyoko as a foil to Hatsue in the novel, which helps to convey the growing divide between the modernisation of Japan, and its traditional past. Chiyoko is educated at a university in Tokyo, something which notably sets her apart from the other inhabitants of Uta-Jima, but she is also riddled with insecurities and jealousy. Through this character and her flaws, Mishima conveys the downsides to modernisation, as Chiyoko is unable to find real happiness due to being ‘unsociable’ and ‘gloomy’. This contrasts with Hatsue, an embodiment of traditional Japanese expectations of women. While beautiful, Hatsue is also a capable pearl diver, and displays her ‘modesty and respect’ towards Shinji’s mother. Unlike Chiyoko, Hatsue is content with living on Uta-Jima, and even fits in there, despite spending most of her life in a different fishing village. This illustrates Mishima’s point that modernisation does not necessarily lead to happiness, and instead, characters are able to find contentment in traditional Japanese values.
This IGCSE World Literature student has produced a sophisticated response, incorporating quotes from the text, as well as using relevant contextual information. However, this could be improved upon. As it stands, they have not delved into the quotations used, nor have they explicitly discussed Mishima’s thoughts on modernisation. The next step will be going into greater detail and depth, and this will allow them to access the highest bands on the mark scheme.
At BartyED, we have coached countless GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level, and IB learners in all aspects of literary analysis. Our expert tutors are trained to recognise and target areas of weakness in students so as to assist these young learners in improving their critical thinking and writing skills. If you believe that you or your child, be they studying GCSE, IGCSE, A-Level, or IB, could benefit from the guidance of an experienced tutor, please reach out to us today by phone (+852 2882 1017) or email (enquiries@bartyed.com).