Camilla Cameli
November 18, 2015
Block F
Sailor Essay

Narrative Design in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea

In Yukio Mishima’s novel, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, the author adopts third person omniscient as a narrating technique to juxtapose the views of multiple characters, in order to convey their contrasting but interconnected perspectives on the greater motif of universal order. Mishima explores the abstract ideas of death, love and glory by connecting them discretely to characters and objects within the text, while leaving room for the reader’s interpretation. The sailor Ryuji is essential for the development of these themes, as he undergoes significant changes to facilitate the reader’s understanding of the thematic implications of the novel. Mishima begins by juxtaposing Noburo’s perspective of Ryuji to Ryuji’s view of himself. When Noburo is looking through the peephole into his mother’s room and first sees Ryuji making love to her, he idolises him, comparing his flesh to “a suit of armor that he could cast off at will” (11). The boy later goes to his friends to tell them about the new hero in his life and affirms that Ryuji is “really going to do something” (50), “something…terrific” (50). Noburo’s initial view of Ryuji is in ironic accord with Ryuji’s view of himself, who believes there is “a special destiny in store for him” (17), though he “ha[s] no idea what kind of glory” (17). The view the boy has of the Sailor