Nature, Lust, and Emotions in Kawabata's Beauty and Sadness

Beauty and Sadness by Yasunari Kawabata is an interesting book on multiple levels. Firstly, the descriptions of the Japanese landscape are incredible. Few writers can get so wonderfully descriptive and truly bring out the beauty of the region. The translator, Howard S. Hibbett, deserves a lot of credit for that. Not knowing Japanese, it is hard to know if there was anything lost in translation, but it certainly seems that Hibbett remained true not only to the language, but to the mood Kawabata is trying to create with his descriptions of the scenery and background upon which his story is set.

But what makes the book is its complicated characters and the interactions between them. Oki Toshio, for instance, is not a very likable character. It is evident from the start of the book that he had had an affair in the past and was now leaving his family again and going to Kyoto to maybe rekindle that affair. He treats the other characters in the book, Otoko and Keiko, selfishly and thinks of his relationships with them only in terms of what those relationships bring to him. Yet throughout the book he remains a somewhat tragic, pitiful character who seems to be stuck in a kind of depressed, somber malaise. A reader is left feeling almost sorry for him rather than being angry at him.

Keiko herself is an immensely interesting and complex character. She comes off as incredibly angry and manipulative in some of the things she does to Oki. It is clearly evident that she has a dark, sadistic and almost sociopathic side that thrives on cruelty and inflicting pain on other people. Yet at the same time it is easy for the reader to sympathize with her because her heart seems to be in the right place. She tries to hurt and manipulate Oki not out of unprovoked hatred but out of her love for Otoko and because of the pain Oki and his relationship with Otoko has inflicted on Otoko over the years.

The themes in the novel are incredible as well. Kawabata examines everything, from sex and eroticism to the thin line between love and hatred. The overall impression I got from the book was that it was very dark. There were many dark themes, a lot of pain, suffering, revenge and people trying to take advantage and hurt other people.

One of the most prevalent and fascinating themes in the book is sex. What is particularly interesting is not the graphic description of some of the erotic events in the novel, but that Kawabata is not afraid to tackle the complex and controversial issues of homosexuality. Even in today's more progressive culture these sexual relationships are frequently labeled taboo, yet even as far back as the 1970s Kawabata was not afraid to examine and explore homosexual love and eroticism.

Another interesting aspect of the book really has nothing to do with the novel itself but with the fact that the author, Kawabata, committed suicide shortly after writing this novel. It was published, in fact, only after his death. Obviously it is hard to know what exactly goes through the mind of a man who chooses to take his own life. But if one is to read the novel and pay particular attention to some of the dark themes Kawabata hits upon-particularly the constant emotional pain all of his characters seem to be in despite brief moments of physical pleasure-it is slightly morbid but not a stretch to look at this novel as a longwinded, artistic suicide note.

All in all, Beauty and Sadness was an interesting read. Perhaps a little slow at times and filled with long-winded dialogue, but the characters are deep and interesting, and Kawabata's insight into human emotions and how they drive the good and the evil decisions we make in our lives is profound.