"Patriotism": The essence of what it is to be Japanese?
Death is considered as fearful and horrific in this world, however for the Japanese warriors it is a sign of pride, if they can choose on their own, for the benefit and pride of their own country. Mishima uses the Japanese culture to present his theme of imperialism and he boasts about the Patriotism in Japan. He not only proves that patriotism is in the culture and traditions of Japan, but also displays the intensity from which the people follow it. The story is weaved with the ornaments of honor and loyalty which dates back to the time of samurais who fought for the ancient Japan. Mishima gives a message to the people of his nation that, as per the Japanese tradition, love of the government has to come first if given a chance to choose against love of the family.
This story only makes sense when considered from a Japanese context, as the rituals of ‘Hirakiri’, are a part of the Japanese culture only and may not be considered as legendary in any other culture of the world. The concept of suicide by the couple in the story is shown as a great deed and patronage however to the other world that does not believe in these traditions; such an act may be termed as horrible or grotesque. It is also noticeable that many daily life activities and domestic dynamics that are a part of the story are a part of the Japanese culture only and the traditional dress and bathing rituals that are discussed in the book have a close resemblance to the Japanese identity.
Shinji is a great warrior, a dedicated soldier and a good husband; however he decides to choose death for himself in order to show his patriotism and his commitment towards his country. His newlywed wife is also appreciative of his decision and she also proudly ends her life in way, the Samurai’s used to do in ancient Japan when not wanting to take a wrong decision against their nation. Patriotism is a theme, which is close to the heart of writers across the world and there have been many books written on the various acts of love towards one’s country, around the world however this is a very different account, where a true soldier chooses his own destiny just to reserve the pride of his nation and not to betray. The World War II saw many such stories where soldiers had to take harsh decision or had to give a very strong fight against life in unfavorable circumstances, however this story is different as patriotism is shown by giving away one’s life and not by withstanding the situations.
On a global scale, if we compare the patriotism as shown by Mishima, it could be easily inferred that only as per the Japanese culture this can be considered as a tale of truth and Patriotism as ‘Hirakiri’ may not be considered as an act of patriotism in the other cultures. The decision of Shinji’s wife, to commit suicide after her husband’s death may be compared to the practices by women in Asian countries, like the practice of ‘Sati’ in ancient India, where the women were supposed to burn themselves at the funeral pyre of their husband. Hence, with a few similarities in place, the story does not provide a very strong essence or a legendary effect of the theme of patriotism where mostly a great living contribution towards the country is only considered as heroic.
Political Extremism and ‘Patriotism’
The concept of Political Patriotism is spread everywhere and it is an important inference from this book that, all the soldiers and the kind of situations that took place during that time clearly depict the kind of political extremism that existed during those times. It is not that these kind of situations do not appear in the current scenario, however considering the fact that it was a period of world war and there were many political changes that the country was going through, it was at its maximum and it was difficult to counter such situations for the soldiers as it was difficult to decide whether they have to be on their country’s side or to that of the government.
Conclusion
Mishima has greatly depicted his love for his country and the traditional patriotism in Japan through this book, there is a very strong plot to explain the intensity with which the people of Japan love their country and do not fear to shed blood or donate their lives, when it comes to do so for their country. In this book the theme of Patriotism is handled in the Japanese manner and there is a very strong touch of the people and traditions related to their culture so that the entire tale looks customized and can remind the people of the true commitment that the people in those times had shown for Japan.
