Tarumi's Garden Quotes

Havens of Captivation

Throughout the course of his stay in the pulchritudinous village of Tarumi, the main protagonist, Stephen, eventually finds it burdensome when he is forced to return back to his family in the chaotic city of Hong Kong due to several facets that deepen not only his understanding of others, but also his appreciation of the gift of life itself. The Samurai’s Garden is an alluring novel written by Gail Tsukiyama, which focuses on a young, Chinese man’s personal experience in a placid village located in Japan. Stephen, who sojourns in Tarumi in order to preclude the prospect of infecting his sister, Pie, with tuberculosis and to distance himself from the ongoing war between the two nations, quickly acclimatizes himself to the

tranquility associated with the quixotically blissful Japanese village. During his stay, he develops relationships with several of the unique individuals, many of whom share an affinity for the gift of human life through their own experiences. Consequently, these new friends enlighten Stephen of the various facets of life, which collectively render him more intellectually inclined and aware of certain values that are not emphasized upon in the pretentious metropolis of Hong Kong. Albeit Stephen’s solicitude for his family in Hong Kong is unable to be cast aside due to the advancing war, there are several elements that serve to render his departure more difficult than one would be left to anticipate. The three most important facets that serve to firmly establish Stephen in the village of Tarumi and consequently make his life more meaningful to his own benefit and enrichment are the serene nature of both Matsu’s garden and the village itself, the fundamental relationships that he develops with several people, and the various life lessons that he learns during his stay in Japan, as they all bring him closer to the purport of life.

Firstly, one of the characteristics that renders Stephen’s departure arduous is the mollifying projection of Tarumi and the nearby gardens within its vicinity. During his sojourn in Tarumi, Stephen gradually comes to appreciate the seductiveness of Tarumi and the corresponding gardens, as they serve to temporarily hide his stress associated with the outside world beyond Tarumi. As soon as Stephen enters Tarumi, he immediately appeals to the quietude of the area when he utters, “‘Even the light is revealing; you can’t miss the smallest nuance, the slightest sound. It’s as if the world were concentrated into just these small rooms.’” (Tsukiyama 20) In this depiction, Tarumi is portrayed as an area of silence, which makes the hectic atmosphere of Hong Kong and the outside world gradually fade away from Stephen’s concern due to the vast opportunities of self-contemplation that Tarumi provides. This meditation consequently deepens Stephen’s admiration of the gift of human life and gives him a moment to question the true importance of life; as a result, Stephen gradually becomes acclimated to the peacefulness of Tarumi and jaded to the purposeless concerns of everyday life present in large, materialistic societies. Furthermore, Stephen finds the beauty and tranquility of Matsu’s garden in particular to be highly irresistible. From the moment he enters Matsu’s garden for the first time, “‘the sweet perfumes [are]

immediately intoxicating.’” and his pain associated with his illness, tuberculosis, seems to slowly pass from his mind (10). Over the course of his stay, Stephen becomes highly attached to the attraction of his garden, which is made evident by Stephen’s various depictions of the garden such as when he exclaims, “‘All I remember is I felt as if I couldn’t breathe, drowning in the sweet, nauseating smells that came from the garden. . . . The sweet, intoxicating smells of the garden embraced me, surrounding me with a deep sense of comfort.’” (100–01) Even near the end of the novel when Stephen goes to Tokyo with his father for a few days, when he returns, he finds “‘refuge in Matsu’s garden,’” as the flowers and their charming aroma “‘soothe [Stephen’s] fears [of the ongoing war].’” (171) Both of these statements cast light upon the notion of how the garden serves a shelter from the concerns of the outside world, as Stephen finds solace in tending the garden due to the fact that it helps him forget about the Imperial Army’s exploits. Evidently, Matsu’s garden has a pacifying effect on Stephen, as he finds that the area allays his trepidation of the prospect of Japan seizing his hometown, Hong Kong, while contemporaneously inuring him to hardships as a whole such as the familial affair concerning his unchaste father. Also, the garden serves to open Stephen’s character up to new experiences and ultimately, to the beneficial deepening of his own character, as its beauty is associated with various messages about human life, such as internal beauty, which serve to render Stephen more appreciative of the true value of life. Accordingly, one of the facets that make Stephen’s ineluctable departure difficult is the emotionally and physically appeasing effect of the various gardens and the village itself, which is supplemented by his profound relationships with the people who live there.
In addition, another aspect that serves to nestle Stephen in the restful village of Tarumi is the indispensable relationships in which he establishes with several individuals over the course of his sojourn in Japan. Over time, when Stephen gets to know people such as Sachi, Kenzo, and Keiko, he learns to understand what Matsu means when he says that all people are bound by their “‘strength of history together,’” (92) Consequently, as Stephen gradually deepens his relationship with several people with a large range of diverse personalities and experiences, he successively becomes more attached to their lives and consequently finds it burdensome to leave all these relationships. His newfound friends also leave a positively indelible mark on Stephen’s set of values, as their own unique experiences all serve to enrich Stephen’s appreciation of human life. Moreover, when Stephen becomes privy to his father’s vice concerning how he has been surreptitiously living with a mistress in Japan for many years, their relationship languishes and Stephen consequently yearns for a stronger father figure in his life. Concomitantly, during his last days in Tarumi, Sachi tells Stephen how he has been like a long lost son to both her and Matsu. This assertion is indeed true, as Matsu gradually becomes Stephen’s ideal male role-model, which Stephen seems to be lacking ever since he arrives at Tarumi, and enlightens Stephen of various life lessons. In particular, Stephen comes to appreciate Matsu’s shy and reticent character and consequently, Stephen learns to develop an intrinsic relationship with a person whose personality he initially casts aside as dreary. Matsu witnesses many egregious misfortunes in his life during Stephen’s visit in Tarumi; subsequently, Stephen gradually becomes cognizant of the “‘small cracks in [Matsu’s] armour, grief in the curve of his back and shoulders.’” (167) This statement further corroborates Stephen’s deepened relationship with Matsu and concomitant ability to view others on the inside instead of the outside, as Stephen comes to learn Matsu’s internal sense of tribulation notwithstanding the fact that Matsu’s character appears to be unshakable. Furthermore, Stephen also develops a rich relationship with Sachi who employs an impactful simile to compare her own relationship with Tomoko when she says, “‘We did everything together, growing strong like stalks of bamboo. While we might sometimes bend one way or the other, it would take a great deal to break us.’” (132) This articulation can be associated with Stephen’s desire to remain in the village of Tarumi, as he has formed several relationships that are unable to be broken and forgotten. Her assertion also reflects and reinforces Stephen’s own set of core beliefs, as he comes to deepen his understanding of the true power of friendship and the effect that his mere presence can have on the lives of others; more specifically, Sachi and how she becomes less shameful and more receptive towards the company of others during the course of his stay. Thus, another facet that serves to establish Stephen in the quiet village of Tarumi is the meaningful relationships in which he sets up with various people during his vacation in Japan who consequently share many meaningful life lessons with him.