Snow Country Essay

Snow Country written by Yasunari Kawabata, and translated into English by Edward G. Seidensticker is a work of unending complexity. The multiple themes and symbols that occur throughout the plot, make for a novel that transcends its relatively simple plot to make statements on the state of a character’s place within a rapidly modernizing culture that still holds to its most ancient roots. Snow Country is as much about Japanese culture as it is about relationships and the perception of the past and the state of memory. Through small yet profound motifs, Kawabata conveys themes of the fragility of memory, the relationship between the past and the present, and the representation of the old-fashioned rural setting and modern times, as well as a theme of

The more he tried to call up a clear picture of her, the more his memory failed him, the farther she faded away, leaving him nothing to catch and hold” (Kawabata 7). The focus rests on Shimamura’s hand, as the sole part of his being that remembers his lover. As it is stated in the passage, “In the midst of this uncertainty only the one hand, and in particular the forefinger, even now seemed damp from her touch, seemed to be pulling him back to her from afar” (Kawabata 7). It’s not his heart, or even his mind that can recall her exactly. These lines begin the use of touch and sensation as a means of memory. Komako is not important enough for Shimamura to fully remember her, or even write to her, as to him this is just an extramarital affair. However, he still sees her a means of pleasure and gratification, however temporary that may be. Another theme at play is the difference between Shimamura’s detached feelings, and Komako’s invested romantic ones. Komako from the start has an obvious romantic infatuation with Shimamura that he never fully