is a novel

Novel

A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....

 by Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata

Yasunari Kawabata

was a Japanese short story writer and novelist whose spare, lyrical, subtly-shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award...

, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968. This was the first time any Japanese author won this prize.

Plot

Set in a post World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, the protagonist, Kikuji, has been orphaned by the death of his mother and father. He becomes involved with one of the former mistresses of his father, Mrs. Ota, who commits suicide seemingly for the shame she associates with the affair. After Mrs. Ota's death, Kikuji then transfers much of his love and grief over Mrs. Ota's death to her daughter. The ending is ambiguous where the reader is not sure whether Fumiko has committed suicide like her mother.

Characters

• Kikuji Mitani - The son of Mr.Mitani and the protagonist character in the novel.
• Chikako Kurimoto - Formerly a mistress of Kikuji's father who continues to meddle in the affairs of Kikuji. She has a large birthmark.
• Yukiko Inamura - A girl who is being proposed as a bride to Kikuji by Kurimoto.
• Mrs. Ota - She is a tea enthusiast. She was also a mistress for Kikuji's father during his last years and now is attracted to Kikuji as a means to remember his father.
• Fumiko Ota - Mrs. Ota's daughter.

Themes

Tea Ceremony

Tea ceremony

A tea ceremony is a ritualised form of making tea. The term generally refers to either chayi Chinese tea ceremony, chado Japanese tea ceremony, tarye Korean tea ceremony. The Japanese tea ceremony is more well known, and was influenced by the Chinese tea ceremony during ancient and medieval times....

• Grace
• Precision

Red & White

• Influence
• Flowers

Decay
The tea ceremony decays throughout the novel. It is no longer used for traditional Japanese purposes. Chikako has turned it into a tool for her to meddle with Kikuji's life. She spreads this poison. Tradition is falling apart due to hate.
Fate
Kikuji is unable to escape the life that his father left him. He inherits all his burdens and drama. He also inherits Mrs. Ota. Fumiko is stuck in this same destructive cycle too. Her mother only wishes for her to take her place.

Awards

This novel is one of three novels cited by the Nobel Committee in awarding Yasunari Kawabata the Nobel Prize for Literature. The other two books are Snow Country

Snow Country

is the first full-length novel by the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. The novel established Kawabata as one of Japan's foremost authors and became an instant classic.- Name :...

and The Old Capital

The Old Capital

The Old Capital is a novel by Yasunari Kawabata originally published in 1962. It was first translated into English in 1987 by J. Martin Holman...

.