Kawabata Part 2 Summary

In the beginning of Part II, scene starts off with Shimamura observing a moth. This small scene seems to be insignificant to the rest of the book as it was only a page long. During this scene, Shimamura notices one specific moth on the window screen; “The moth did not move. He struck at it with his fist, and it fell like a leaf from a tree, floating lightly up midway to the ground” (Kawabata 90). As he stares at the moths, he wonders if it is alive or not. To confirm his belief, he hits the screen and the moth falls off. The way Kawabata described the way the moth fell shows how delicate the insect is. He describes the moth’s fall as a leaf falling off a tree. When a leaf falls from a tree, it falls silently and gracefully. The moth is fragile, so delicate its path can be easily moved by

Shimamaura thought about how the situation would be different if man did have the skin and fur of a bear. Rather of being sad that humans does not, Shimamura is quite glad humans had such weak skin. He believes a person loves another’s skin due to the fact it is so fragile. With the skin being so weak and thin compared to other animals, humans are able to cherish and appreciate his own and another’s skin. If human skin was any rougher, they would not be able to savor the softness and importance of keeping such skin in pristine shape. Shimamura’s thoughts also led to him desire the human touch. This could be the true reason why he came back to the hot springs; to be one with Komako’s touch and skin. One could relate this Shimamura’s thought to Kawabata’s own thought; the story being about a traveler staying with a young geisha. Kawabata did have a favoritism for young girls, and one of the perks of a young girl is soft